title: Impact of social characteristics on the treatment of patients with ischaemic events and patent foramen ovale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Percutaneous closure of a patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a technically simple and safe procedure. PFO is a common finding present in up to one third of the population. Although several conditions such as stroke, migraine, and sleep apnoea have been associated with a PFO, as underlined by observational studies, no causal relationship has been documented so far. As this setting may potentially leave more space for the involved physicians for the choice of treatment, we hypothesized that social characteristics of the patient with a PFO might play a role.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analysed the data of 153 patients with a cerebrovascular and/or peripheral ischaemic event with the diagnosis of a PFO as documented in echocardiography from 2000 until 2005 at the University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-four patients (= 23%) underwent catheter-based PFO closure. There was no significant difference with respect to age (<40 years: P = 0.094, ns; 40-59 years: P = 0.923, ns; > or =60 years: P= 0.234, ns), gender (P = 0.356, ns) and insurance status (<40 years: P= 0.15, ns; 40-59 years: P= 0.37, ns; 60 years: P = 0.26, ns) between those who underwent percutaneous PFO closure and those who did not.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude from this single-centre experience that social characteristics of patients only have a marginal impact on the indication of percutaneous closure of a PFO, if at all.
authors.affiliation: Clinic of Cardiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schurter
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jenni
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Van Der Loo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D054092:Foramen Ovale, Patent / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012961:Sociology; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult