Percutaneous Closure of PFO in Patients with Reduced Oxygen Saturation at Rest and during Exercise: Short- and Long-Term Results

BACKGROUND: A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a rare cause of hypoxemia and clinical symptoms of dyspnea. Due to a right-to-left shunt, desaturated blood enters the systemic circulation in a subset of patients resulting in dyspnea and a subsequent reduction in quality of life (QoL). Percutaneous closure of PFO is the treatment of choice. OBJECTIVES: This retrospective multicentre study evaluates short- and long-term results of percutaneous closure of PFO in patients with dyspnea and/or reduced oxygen saturation. METHODS: Patients with respiratory symptoms were selected from databases containing all patients percutaneously closed between January 2000 and September 2018. Improvement in dyspnea, oxygenation, and QoL was investigated using pre- and postprocedural lung function parameters and two postprocedural questionnaires (SF-36 and PFSDQ-M). RESULTS: The average follow-up period was 36 [12–43] months, ranging from 0 months to 14 years. Percutaneous closure was successful in 15 of the 16 patients. All patients reported subjective improvement in dyspnea immediately after device deployment, consistent with their improvement in oxygen saturation (from 90 ± 6% to 94 [92–97%] on room air and in upright position) (p < 0.05). Both questionnaires also indicated an improvement of dyspnea and QoL after closure. The two early and two late deaths were unrelated to the procedure. CONCLUSION: PFO-related dyspnea and/or hypoxemia can be treated successfully with a percutaneous intervention with long-lasting benefits on oxygen saturation, dyspnea, and QoL.