The heart patch, or CardioSeal, offers an alternative to people with patent formen ovale, a condition that afflicts one in five people. It occurs when the opening in the left and right atria (upper chambers) does not close normally during birth. This condition has been found to correlate with patients who suffer from strokes of unknown origin.

Until recently, such patients had only two choices, drug therapy or open-heart surgery to close the hole. Now, the new procedure affords people who are at risk for a repeat stroke with another choice--a percutaneous technique (inserting a catheter into the heart through a vein) that implants the heart patch.

Once the patch is in place between the atria, it is expanded on each side of the hole. Eventually tissue grows into the device's fabric and it becomes a permanent part of the heart.

The procedure is performed in the catheterization lab under conscious sedation and local anesthesia to the groin area. TransEsophageal Echocardiography (ultrasound) and/or intracardiac ultrasound allows doctors to better see the defect and to determine the appropriate size patch. The procedure improves quality of life by greatly decreasing the chance of another stroke and alleviates the need for blood-thinning medication. Recovery time and hospital length of stay are also less compared to surgical repair. Patients are discharged on antiplatelet medication and are required to have follow-up echocardiograms.