The Student Room Group

I have a small hole in my heart and its not rare

One time I had my blood taken (I cant remember the reason why). But the doctor caught onto something and I had checks on my heart. I later got a letter telling me that theres a possible hole in my heart chamber in which blood is passing through

I had lots of cardiac tests...some where really weird...I had bubbles injected into my blood stream through my hand and an echo-scan gave live images of my heart and of the blood flow

they saw bubbles pass into the chamber where such blood shouldnt go - but it was not life threatening

The doctor said that some people are born with a "potential hole". I can live with it without operation. The only drawback is that I can never scuba dive (scuba dive! lol! oh well) and that strokes may be fatal.

There is an operation proceedure in which they insert like an umbrella into your groin and it travels in the blood to close at your heart - but I declined, lol :biggrin:

Do you peeps know about this? Maybe some has the same

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Reply 1
atrio-ventricular septum? I did an exam question on it once...

Might not be exactly the same, but apprently those suffering mix deoxygenated haemoglobin with oxygenated so your circularatory system may not be as efficient.
Reply 2
I havent heard of that before i'm afraid. How do those who have that definciency cope? Whats it like for them? thanks
Reply 3
my friends little boy has two holes in his heart but neither will ever be life threatening and he doesn't need an operation for it.
it is likely that you are talking about a hole in the atrio-ventricular septum. it's not all that rare, and i do know a few people who have had it. one of my friends in primary school had it and had to have a surgury to mend the problem. before the operation, she was often feeling dizzy / headaches and would feel very weak for no particular reasons sometimes. otherwise she was fine, and after the operation (which was about 7 years ago), she's been leading a completely normal life and there isn't much of an issue. the success rate of such an operation is quite high these days so if you want to have it, there's not much need to really worry about it.
Reply 5
does patent foramen ovale ring a bell?

or ductus arteriosus?

they're both holes in walls of the heart that exist in the foetus because it doesn't need blood flowing through the lungs. when the baby is born, these holes close up and become pathological remnants in the heart. but sometimes they remain patent. often, the patient doesn't know about them as they don't necessarily cause problems and a post mortem of an 80 year old could display a patent foramen ovale despite the cause of death being lung cancer or something equally random.
Reply 6
"she was often feeling dizzy / headaches and would feel very weak for no particular reasons sometimes"

I get dizzy fainty feelings...vision goes for 3-5 seconds and I can easy just collapse but I can just stand. I made sure the doctors and nurses knew about this but they said it had nothing to do with it. But I believe you
Reply 7
I've heard of something similar to it which I may well have.
I can't remember the names of things but it can be corrected in a similar way inserting a star shaped..thing in your groin/thigh and get pushed into place in the middle of the heart.
There was a connection between aura migraines and this and research is being carried out into it.

It's a PFO. The hole thing is called a PFO
Reply 8
is probers a ventricular septal defect (VSD) or atrial septal Defect (from an open foramen ovale, yes bex). in both cases oxygenated blood is forced from the left to the right side of the heart through a hole in the partition between the two sides. too much blood passes into the lungs (via the pulmonary artery) and too little to the body tissues (via the aorta).
Reply 9
medic_bex
does patent foramen ovale ring a bell?

or ductus arteriosus?


and no, hehehe, I assure you they don't. Not everyone who comes in here does human biology
Reply 10
Luize
I've heard of something similar to it which I may well have.
I can't remember the names of things but it can be corrected in a similar way inserting a star shaped..thing in your groin/thigh and get pushed into place in the middle of the heart.
There was a connection between aura migraines and this and research is being carried out into it.

It's a PFO. The hole thing is called a PFO


yeah youre spot on. I remember hearing "PFO" before

There was a news article about it some months ago. Good to know that theres some awareness out there then
I have a hole in my heart too, my parents told me it should have cleared up, I was a premature baby, but I dont know if it still is.
Can it cause problems?????
Reply 12
mattwilson
and no, hehehe, I assure you they don't. Not everyone who comes in here does human biology

sorry :redface: i just figured if it was one of those they might have told you the name for it...
Reply 13
I've found the website with the trial I mentioned.
http://www.migraine-mist.org/
It gives information about the PFO and migraines mainly. The actual trial is closed though.
Reply 14
"I have a hole in my heart too, my parents told me it should have cleared up, I was a premature baby, but I dont know if it still is.
Can it cause problems?????"


well I was told no. Just dont scuba dive. And strokes will be bad for you. Those are the advice the doctors gave me. Its fine to live with
Reply 15
medic_bex
sorry :redface: i just figured if it was one of those they might have told you the name for it...



and even if it was...woooh! I wouldve forgot :redface: sorry for being rude :smile:
Reply 16
mattwilson
One time I had my blood taken (I cant remember the reason why). But the doctor caught onto something and I had checks on my heart. I later got a letter telling me that theres a possible hole in my heart chamber in which blood is passing through

I had lots of cardiac tests...some where really weird...I had bubbles injected into my blood stream through my hand and an echo-scan gave live images of my heart and of the blood flow

they saw bubbles pass into the chamber where such blood shouldnt go - but it was not life threatening

The doctor said that some people are born with a "potential hole". I can live with it without operation. The only drawback is that I can never scuba dive (scuba dive! lol! oh well) and that strokes may be fatal.

There is an operation proceedure in which they insert like an umbrella into your groin and it travels in the blood to close at your heart - but I declined, lol :biggrin:

Do you peeps know about this? Maybe some has the same



It's quite common - as a foetus you have no need for a pulmonary circulation (blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen), so the heart has a hole through which the blood can pass from one side to the other bypassing the pulmonary (lung) circulation (it's called the foramen Ovale). It usually seals when your born and take your first breath (due to the pressure changes in your chest). However in a significant number of people this closure isn't total.

Your GP will have heard a 'murmur' when listening to your heart sounds.
Reply 17
Fluffy
It's quite common - as a foetus you have no need for a pulmonary circulation (blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen), so the heart has a hole through which the blood can pass from one side to the other bypassing the pulmonary (lung) circulation (it's called the foramen Ovale). It usually seals when your born and take your first breath (due to the pressure changes in your chest). However in a significant number of people this closure isn't total.

Your GP will have heard a 'murmur' when listening to your heart sounds.

:wink:
Reply 18
I should read the whole thread before answering :redface: ! Yes it sounds like PFO (patent foramen ovale). It was good revision though :smile:
Reply 19
Fluffy
I should read the whole thread before answering :redface: ! Yes it sounds like PFO (patent foramen ovale). It was good revision though :smile:

no, reinforce my posts! it makes me feel like less of a charlatan...:smile: