PFO closure with the Amplatzer™ PFO Occluder
The Amplatzer™ PFO Occluder is a device that can be placed in your heart to close the PFO through a minimally invasive, catheter-based technique, and is designed to stop blood flow through the PFO.
Treatment of a Cryptogenic Stroke
Understanding your options for PFO treatment
If you’ve had a cryptogenic stroke and have also been diagnosed with a PFO, it’s important to talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of available treatment options to reduce your risk of another stroke. There are several treatment options your doctor may discuss, including medication or closure of the PFO, either with the Amplatzer™ PFO Occluder or, in very rare cases, open-heart surgery.
Blood-thinning medication
Your doctor may prescribe blood-thinning medication to reduce your chance of having blood clots. Aspirin (taken daily) is the recommended medication for most cryptogenic stroke patients to reduce the risk of having another ischemic stroke. Some physicians recommend stronger blood-thinning medication called anticoagulants.
Open-heart surgery to close the PFO
Most open-heart operations are performed through an incision across the full length of the breastbone or sternum. Open heart surgeries require the use of a heart-lung machine, which takes over the function of the heart temporarily. Today, open-heart surgery is rarely performed to close a PFO.
Reduce your risk of recurring stroke
Find out how you can reduce your risk of another stroke with PFO closure.
Learn more about PFO closure Reduce the risk of another stroke
One week after her PFO closure,
Christine was back on the treadmill running 5 miles an hour.
After Christine Lee’s stroke at age 33, her neurologist ordered a transesophageal echocardiogram to look for a PFO. Nearly six months after her first stroke, she had a TIA. Her neurologist then made a referral to an interventional cardiologist, and he recommended she get the PFO closure procedure within seven days.
Hear about her experience
I’ve had so many emails from readers who say their neurologist won’t make that referral to an interventional cardiologist. They just won’t. They want to know the name of my cardiologist, because they’re so desperate.”
