New, non-invasive procedure to close hole in heart helps father of three

SEATTLE -- About one in four people have a hole in their heart called a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO). The hole is present in babies in the womb, and usually closes once after the birth of the child, but in about 25-30% of the population the hole doesn’t close completely.

Most people go their entire lives without having any problems or ever knowing they have it, but in rare cases, blood clots can travel through the hole up to the brain, causing strokes. PFOs have been associated with severe migraines.



Outside of the University of Washington Medical Center, excited and nervous, Rance Lentz waits to see his doctor for his one month check-up following his non-invasive PFO closure procedure, the first in the state performed at UW Medicine using The AMPLATZER™ PFO Occluder -- the device indicated for percutaneous transcatheter closure of a PFO to reduce the risk of recurrent ischemic stroke.

Lentz’s doctors discovered he had a 33 millimeter hole in his heart (1.2 inches).

“I couldn’t believe it at first, I thought they had their math wrong or something,” said Lentz.

His family has a history of heart problems and Lentz has battled ulcerative colitis for decades. He has also had tiny strokes and dealt with severe migraines that can last weeks.

“The pain in the head was just awful, the auras, it was overwhelming,” said Lentz, a father of three young boys.

At 38, the father's medical issues became so debilitating he thought of ending his life.

“I was really depressed, to the point that I was starting to have some issues, I didn’t really want to go on,” said Lentz.

A severe migraine landed him in the hospital last year and caused doctors to perform an ultrasound test which showed the hole. Lentz’s neurologists connected him with doctors at the UW Medical Center to fix the PFO using this newly FDA approved non-invasive procedure.

“And trying to wrap my head around they’re going to try to fix a whole in my heart, and uh, I was real nervous,” said Lentz.

The procedure comes with serious risks, but Lentz said his health condition had left him unable to work, unable to be fully present in his children’s lives, he was ready to take any measure that might have given him a new lease on life.

Dr. Creighton Don, a UW Medicine cardiologist performed the procedure on Lentz.

Doctors enter a catheter through a vein in the upper part of the leg, two disks inside the catheter made of a stretchy metal-like material deploy on either end of the hole like a door closing it.

“So this device was recently approved by the FDA to be used, there’s been a lot of debate and controversy about, given that, you know, If you have something that’s prevalent is 25 percent of the population, it’s not always associated with harm,” said Don.

Lentz’s condition of having strokes and migraines made him the right candidate to have this procedure.

During his one month check-up, Letz said the migraines are gone and he has gained weight, gotten color back in his face and has more energy to play with his kids.

“I’m able to play with my kids again, like a normal dad, life is just way better, way, way better,” said Lentz.

The device stays in patient’s hearts for the rest of their lives.