Question

what does the "suspicion of PFO" in Echocardiogram means? what are the symptoms of PFO? how can it affect your daily routine? how can you treat PFO?

Answer 1

Ans- The term PFO stand for patent foramen ovale.It is a hole present in heart naturally during fetal stage when baby remains in womb and close soon after birth ,but if it is not then we called it Patent foramen ovale .The ratio of pfo is 1/4 people .

Foramen ovale- it is a small opening exist between the upper two chambers of the heart i.e.atria .It helps to circulate blood through the heart at fetal stage . During fetal stage baby do not use their lungs to oxygenate their blood .Fetal are rely on their mother's circulation to provide oxygen to their blood from the placenta.During Infancy or when birth take place lungs start to work , the pressure inside their lungs force to close the hole ( foramen ovale ) .But in some infants it fails to close the hole result in PFO .

Echocardiogram is a technique used to diagnose PFO . In this test, sound waves directed at your heart from a transducer held on your chest produce video images of your heart in motion. Doctors may use this test to diagnose a patent foramen ovale and detect other heart problems.

Affect Of PfO On Daily Routine -

The affect of PfO in scuba dive may seen . As scuba driver with PfO likely to have stroke and further it may damage their brain while they are driving . Understand it like this , during decompression after driving , small nitrogen bubbles may formed in blood . These bubbles act as clots cause small strokes or brain damage .

-peoples with pulmonary hypertension , PFO may make shortness of breath much worse .

SYMPTOMS OF PFO -

In many cases the symptoms are not dominant or visible and causes no symptoms .

But the symptoms may appear in vary rare cases like - Blue tint to their skin when crying or passing stool called cyanosis .And this kind of rare symptoms only appear when infants have PFO and other heart problems .

TREATMENTS OF PFO -

PFO can be treated by catherization procedure . It is used to close PFO hole . Doctor inserts a plug into the hole with the help of catheter ( a long tube) that is usually inserted at your groin .

Second one is ,It can be done surgically .By making small incision and then stitching the hole closed . Surgery is specially recommended to those , adults who are suffering from PFO as well as stroke to close the otherwise medication to thin blood and prevent clots from forming may also be prescribed instead of surgery .

Sometimes doctor may reapair PFO while performing another heart surgery .