Is the PFO hole in the baby's heart dangerous? - Dr. Saeed Bitarafan, pediatric heart specialist

2 months ago

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Is the PFO hole in the baby's heart dangerous?

PFO hole is present in the heart of most babies at birth. Sometimes it causes concern for parents, especially mothers. In this article, I have discussed the importance and natural course of this common issue. How dangerous is the PFO hole in the baby's heart? This hole should normally be closed after birth in its normal course. If not closed It is called patent foramen ovale (PFO). PFO is very common. Approximately one in four people in the general population has a PFO. If there is no heart disease or other complications, PFO treatment is not necessary. In fact, the vast majority of sufferers do not even know it exists.

PFO hole and fetal and neonatal circulation

A review of normal heart function in childhood or adulthood is useful in understanding the role of the foramen ovale before birth.

Is Is it dangerous to have a hole in the baby's heart?

Fetal heart blood circulation in the womb

Because the fetus does not breathe in the womb, the lungs do not work yet. This means that there is no need to pump blood to the lungs. During this period, the blood uses another way to enrich itself with oxygen. so that with this path, the oxygen of the blood reaches the body of the fetus from the mother's body.

Circulation Fetal blood

The umbilical cord supplies oxygen-rich blood to the baby's right atrium. Most of this blood passes through the foramen ovale and into the left atrium. From there, the blood goes to the left ventricle, which pumps it throughout the body. Blood is also transferred from the right atrium to the right ventricle, which also pumps blood through another bypass system.

Newborn Cardiac Circulation

When your baby is born, his lungs start working, changes in pressure inside his heart usually cause the foramen ovale to close. In most cases, this happens within a few days to a few weeks. Sometimes this may not happen for a year or two. In some people, this closure may never occur, leading to a PFO.

In very rare cases, a baby with PFO can have a blue color to his skin when he cries or passes a stool. This bruising is called cyanosis. Cyanosis only happens if the child has both PFO and another heart disease. However, this disease may have complications. It may play a role in migraine headaches. It increases the risk of stroke, transient ischemic attack and heart attack. Of course, it should be mentioned. The relationship between these complications and PFO has not been proven, and the possibility of their occurrence in children is very rare.

What are the causes of PFO?

PFO in the baby's heart does not have a specific cause. It is not known what causes the foramen ovale to remain open in some people, although genetics can play a role. Sometimes PFO occurs along with other heart problems. One of these cases is Ebstein's anomaly. This is when the valve between the upper and lower chambers of the heart on the right side does not form properly. However, if the doctor determines that a diagnosis is necessary, he may recommend an echocardiogram. This method uses sound waves to obtain an image of your heart. If your doctor cannot see the hole on a standard echocardiogram, he may perform a bubble test on the echo. In this test, they inject a saline solution during the echocardiogram. Your doctor will then look for bubbles passing between the two atria of your child's heart.

How is PFO treated?

In most cases of PFO, no treatment is needed. PFO can be closed by catheterization (angiography). In this method, your cardiologist inserts a special device using a special long plastic tube called a catheter, which usually enters the body's vessels from the patient's groin, and after passing through the vascular path, it enters the heart and closes the hole.

By making a small incision, a PFO can be surgically closed and then the hole is sutured. Sometimes a doctor can repair a PFO with surgery if another heart procedure is performed.

Adults with a PFO who have had a clot or stroke may need surgery to close the hole. Medicines to thin the blood and prevent clots may also be prescribed instead of surgery.

What is the long-term outlook for people with PFO?

PFO in children's hearts has a very good long-term outlook. Most people will never even realize they have a PFO. Although stroke and migraine are possible complications of PFO. But they are not common. If your child needs surgery to treat PFO. You should expect him to recover completely and lead a healthy and normal life.

For further reading, you can use the following articles.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/patent-foramen-ovale/symptoms-causes/syc-20353487

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17326-patent-foramen-ovale-pfo