Outlander Season 7 brought a new medical problem that Claire can’t fix. What is patent ductus arteriosus, and what does it mean for the MacKenzies?
Caution: This post contains spoilers for Outlander Season 7, Episode 2.
The birth of a child is supposed to be an exciting time. While Jemmy’s birth was filled with stress and questions, the only thing anyone really had to fear with Mandy’s birth was a complication during delivery.
Yes, that’s the name of Bree and Roger’s daughter. She’s called Amanda Claire Hope MacKenzie, or Mandy for short.
While at first, it was a joyous time, Claire immediately realized there was an alarming problem. Mandy has patent ductus arteriosus, and this is something Claire can’t fix. The MacKenzies need to go to the 20th century, which means the whole family needs to go through the stones.
What is patent ductus arteriosus in Outlander Season 7?
The medical problem is actually a fairly common one, especially in pre-term babies. Mayo Clinic states that it’s when there is a persistent opening between two major blood vessels leading to the heart. It affects the way that the blood flows to the heart, often leading poorly oxygenated blood the wrong way around the system.
This can be a minor problem that goes undetected and causes no problems in the future. However, it’s clear that Mandy has a severe issue. She isn’t getting enough oxygenated blood around her body, and this is going to put strain on her heart. It leads to heart failure and it does require surgery to fix. This is surgery Claire couldn’t even do if she was in the 20th century. She’s a general surgeon and not a heart surgeon.
Will Mandy be okay? We’ll need Outlander Season 7, Episode 3 to see if there’s hope. Neither Mandy or Jemmy were spotted in the promo for the episode.