JAMA and Archives Journals

Repair of heart defect discovered incidentally during surgery may not have clear benefit

Published in Heart Disease Weekly, August 2nd, 2009

Patients who have a heart defect known as patent foramen ovale incidentally discovered and repaired during surgery for a different condition may have an increased odds of postoperative stroke, along with no clear benefit on short-term outcomes or long-term survival, according to a study in the July 15 issue of JAMA.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is an opening in the upper chambers of the heart that failed to close naturally shortly after birth. The role that PFO plays in cryptogenic (of unknown cause) stroke remains controversial. "The debate over an association has existed for more than a century, but causal data linking PFO and cryptogenic stroke remain anecdotal....

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Source: Heart Disease Weekly (2009-08-02)

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