Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) Closures
Pediatric cardiologists at Brenner Children’s Hospital use a PFO Occluder device to close a common birth defect called a PFO. About 25% of the normal, adult population has a PFO, a flap that does not close properly between the left and right chambers of the heart, resulting in a hole between the two chambers. Most patients do not know they have a PFO, but some patients can have strokes due to the abnormal blood flow patterns in the heart.
Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)
PFO is a naturally occurring hole in the wall separating the left and right side of the heart. In most cases, the hole closes on it’s own as a person grows into adulthood. But for a third of the population, the hole does not seal and blood can flow from the left to the right side of the heart. In most cases this does not require treatment. However, a small percentage of patients begin to have small strokes. Pediatric cardiologists at Brenner Children’s Hospital are able to treat this condition with a PFO occluder device. Why would adults be treated by a pediatric cardiologist for this condition? Pediatric cardiologists are specially-trained to understand birth defects in the heart. They are the experts in the structure of the heart, so they are best suited to perform the procedure. |
Using an intracardiac echocardiogram (ICE), pediatric cardiologists can pinpoint the exact location of the defect and correct it using a PFO occluder device. The intracardiac echocardiogram gives pediatric cardiologists a clear view from inside the heart’s walls and helps place the device accurately. The PFO occluder differs from the ASD occluder based on the smaller size of the hole it has to close and its basic design, which allows it to have a lower profile in the heart.
The patient avoids open heart surgery and the recovery time associated with that. Most often, the patient can return to work in a couple of days. Other benefits to patients include: lower costs, lower risk for complications and no scar.
Pediatric cardiologists have inserted about 20 PFO devices in patients ranging from 5 to 75 years old.