Catheterization and cardiovascular interventions : official journal of the Society for Cardiac Angiography & Interventions
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Catheter Cardiovasc Interv · Aug 2004
Multicenter StudyTranscatheter patent foramen ovale closure for secondary prevention of paradoxical embolic events: acute results from the FORECAST registry.
Patients with patent foramen ovale (PFO) and paradoxical embolism are at increased risk for recurrent events. Percutaneous PFO closure is a new treatment modality aimed at secondary prevention. We report the multicenter experience of interventional closure of PFO using two different devices in 272 patients. ⋯ The mean procedure time was less than 44 min under either conscious sedation, local or general anesthesia. This is the largest report to date demonstrating the procedural safety, reliability, and feasibility of the transcatheter PFO closure technique with the STARFlex and CardioSEAL septal implants. Randomized clinical trials are currently in progress to identify patients most likely to benefit from this intervention.