how do they fix a hole in the heart?

Answer 1

James - That's a very good question. It actually depends a lot on where the hole is located. The three most common types are called ASDs (atrial septal defects), PFOs (patent foramen ovale) and VSDs (ventricular septal defects). I can talk a little about these individually:

1) Atrial septal defects: ASDs are holes in the top chambers of the heart (the atria) that happen when there is deficient growth of tissue. If there are located fairly centrally, you can close them with the types of devices Vincent mentioned which does not require surgery. (Look up CardioSeal and Amplatzer for more information.) If the hole is too big or too close to other structures in the heart, open heart surgery is necessary, and a patch is used to close the hole.

2) Patent foramen ovale: PFOs are not birth defects. Everyone has a hole in their heart when they are fetuses, but shortly after birth, 75% of them will seal shut. In the rest, the hole stays open and rarely can allow a clot to pass through and cause a stroke. (See Ariel Sharon.) These are almost all closed with catheter devices. (Amplatzer, CardioSeal)

3) Ventricular septal defects: VSDs are holes that occur between the bottom chambers of the heart and usually cause heart murmurs while the first two do not. Some of these, if they are not too close to the heart valves, can be closed with catheter devices (Amplatzer, CardioSeal), but many require open heart surgery where a patch is used to close the hole.

If you want to give me more details about the kind of hole you're talking about, I can give you more specific information. Hope that helps!

Answer 2

There's an operation in which they make an incision in the thigh and guide a probe up the inguinal canal, which is used to place a stint in the hole. I don't remember all the details, but any heart surgeon should be able to describe it fully.

It's reletivily non-invasive, and in some cases, a person can even stay concious during the operation (with an epideral, of course, so they're numb from the waist down.)