Patent foramen ovale occurs when the foramen ovale in the heart does not close after birth. Foramen ovale is a hole in the wall between the right and left upper chambers of the heart (atrium) in the unborn baby during fetal development. This hole allows blood to bypass the fetal lungs, which cannot function until they are exposed to air. When a newborn baby enters the world and takes his or her first breath, the foramen ovale closes, and within a few months it will be approximately 75 percent completely closed. When the foramen ovale does not close, it is called patent foramen ovale (PFO). PFO occurs in about 25 percent of the normal population, but in most cases people with PFO never know they have it. This condition often occurs during tests for other problems. Learning that you have a PFO is understandable, but most people do not need treatment for the PFO.
Symptoms
Most people with patent foramen ovale have the condition. They cannot know because it is a latent condition that usually does not cause signs or symptoms.
Causes
The reasons why the foramen ovale remains open in some people are not clear, but genetics may play a role. It may occur.
The baby's heart in the womb
Since a baby in the womb does not breathe, the lungs do not work during this period. This means there is no need to pump blood into the lungs. At this stage, blood needs to bypass the lungs and use a different pathway to circulate oxygen-rich blood from the mother to the baby's body. The umbilical cord supplies oxygen-rich blood to the baby's right atrium. Most of this blood moves towards the left atrium through the foramen ovale. From here it goes to the left ventricle, which pumps blood to the body. Blood also passes to the right atrium to the right ventricle, which pumps blood to the body through another bypass system.
The newborn baby's heart
A baby's lungs are still functioning. When it begins, the circulation of blood through the heart changes and oxygen-rich blood comes from the lungs to the left atrium. At this point, blood circulation follows the normal circulation path.
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