The heart hole causing the stroke was closed with a one-hour procedure

The hole in the heart that caused a stroke was closed with a one-hour procedure for the first time at Manisa City Hospital. The Cardiology Department of Manisa City Hospital has achieved another important operation. Meryem Toprak, a 60-year-old resident of Manisa, applied to the Cardiology Department of Manisa City Hospital after experiencing four attacks. During the examinations conducted here, a hole was detected in Meryem Toprak’s heart. Taking action to close the hole causing the stroke, Assoc. Dr. İbrahim Halil Özdemir and Assoc. Dr. Ramazan Gündüz from the Cardiology Department of Manisa City Hospital performed the operation on Meryem Toprak. The operation, which was successful, closed the hole in the heart that could cause a stroke. Providing information about the procedure performed on Toprak, Assoc. Dr. İbrahim Halil Özdemir stated, ‘Today, we wanted to present to you a case that we performed for the first time at Manisa City Hospital. Aunt Meryem came to us complaining of having had four strokes. Stroke is known as a transient ischemic attack or paralysis in public. Neurology branch conducted the examinations but could not find any reason for any paralysis and referred the patient to cardiology. Using Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) known as an ultrasound from the esophagus, we detected a hole in the patient’s heart. Then, we planned the operation to close this hole. The operation, in which my imaging physician Dr. Ramazan Gündüz performed the procedure, was successfully completed. We concluded the procedure within 1 hour. Using the method known as an umbrella in public, we entered through the femoral vein with a needle and closed the hole in the heart. Our patients usually come with complaints such as fainting or feeling faint, inability to move certain parts of the body, numbness, etc. When such symptoms occur, you are referred to a neurology specialist. Our neurology colleagues also want to get opinions from cardiology. When they come to us, we evaluate their ECGs and heart ultrasounds and provide assistance accordingly. This operation is a procedure we performed for the first time at Manisa City Hospital. In fact, it is a hole in the heart called Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) that is congenital. In most people, this hole closes. However, in some patients, a small opening may remain. In cases where it remains open, symptoms such as paralysis can occur, and if there are recurring stroke attacks, then the hole in the heart needs to be closed. It is not performed on every patient; there is an indication for it, so it is a process that needs to be carried out in coordination with a neurology specialist. Moreover, this operation is not a standalone procedure; it is a teamwork. It involves a neurologist, a cardiologist, an anesthesiologist if a procedure is to be performed, and the necessity of post-operative intensive care. During this operation, Anesthesiologist Uzm. Dr. Berkem Büyükakkuş accompanied us. We thank all the physicians, nurses, technicians, and colleagues who accompanied us during the case and monitored the patient in intensive care. The patient Meryem Toprak, who says she narrowly escaped death, stated, ‘I escaped death 3-4 times. One of my sons had gone to visit his father-in-law in Trabzon. I told him to hurry because I was going to die, and he made it to my surgery. May God bless you. May God grant healing to patients like me. My blood pressure and sugar are normal; I am very well at the moment,’ she said.