A first for McKenzie-Willamette.Byline: The Register-Guard Dr. Samuel Lau recently performed, for the first time in Springfield, a minimally invasive way to close a congenital opening in the heart. Lau, a board certified board certified, adj the status of a dental specialist such as an orthodontist who has become a board diplomate by successfully completing the certification program of the recognized certification board in that area of practice. cardiologist with Oregon Cardiology, treated the defect - called a patent foramen ovale patent foramen ovale PFO Cardiology An opening between the left and right atria which allows blood to bypass the lungs in utero; the FO normally closes shortly after birth, but remains open in up to 20%; a PFO is, in absence of other cardiac defects, is of no consequence - through a tiny puncture in the skin, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center news release. PFO PFO Patent Foramen Ovale (defect of the heart) PFO Paphos, Cyprus - International (Airport Code) PFO Principal Federal Official (US Departement of Homeland Security) is a defect that may cause as many as 100,000 strokes a year, the release said. Although Lau has been performing PFO closures since 2004 (41 procedures to date), this was the first time such a so-called percutaneous percutaneous /per·cu·ta·ne·ous/ (per?ku-ta´ne-us) performed through the skin. per·cu·ta·ne·ous adj. Passed, done, or effected through the unbroken skin. closure had been done at McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center. If a PFO is suspected in a patient, several diagnostic-imaging evaluations can help determine what treatment is most suitable. Depending on age and health factors, options may include a medicine regimen, open heart surgery or the percutaneous closure performed by cardiologists such as Lau. Percutaneous closure might be preferred because it is an outpatient procedure, it has a short recovery period, shorter medicine therapy afterward, a high success rate and fewer risks. |
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