Watch members of the Sentara Heart Valve team close a small hole called a foramen ovale between the upper two heart chambers. The procedure uses fluoroscopy to  guide a small occluder device through a long catheter. Using echocardiography we gather images from within the heart to help verify the position and function of the device during the procedure. This technique is known as transcatheter closure of the PFO.   A patent foramen ovale usually doesn't cause complications but some patients may have heart defects and complications of low blood oxygen and possibly a stroke.

Sentara is the largest heart program in the Southern Virginia Hampton Roads region of the state and participates in many clinical research trials.