The CardioSEAL Septal Occluder is a revolutionary heart device used to close different types of holes in the heart. It is used for patients who were born with a birth-defect.
Approved by the FDA, the CardioSEAL is used during a relatively non-invasive procedure to close the foramen ovale, or flap valve. The flap valve separates the heart’s two upper chambers. It helps the circulation in unborn babies, and usually fuses shut by the time a child is three months old. However, if the flap valve doesn’t fuse, or doesn’t fuse entirely, the CardioSEAL Septal Occluder will conform to the flap valve, stimulating the body to develop tissue to block future blood flow through the flap.
The CardioSEAL is a flexible, umbrella-like device ranging in size from that of a dime to a half-dollar. It consists of two umbrella-like metallic frames that work to reduce the odds of bodily rejection.
Performed in the Cardiac Cath Lab Village, the procedure takes approximately an hour and a half. After taking careful measurements, the device is folded into a special catheter and threaded through a blood vessel in the leg, then to the heart. The occluder’s arms slowly open on both sides of the flap valve to block the flow of blood.
Patients often go back to normal activity in a day or two and must take aspirin daily for six months unless otherwise directed by their physician.