Glossary of Terms

AMPLATZER PFO Occluder
A self-expanding device consisting of two wire-mesh discs, filled with polyester fabric, that closes a patent foramen ovale (PFO).

Catheter
A hollow tube that is used to navigate through veins or arteries, usually from the groin, to provide access to the heart without open-heart surgery.

Cryptogenic Stroke
A stroke from an unknown cause.

Embolic Stroke
A sudden obstruction of a blood vessel by debris.

Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)
An opening between the upper chambers of the heart (atria) that normally closes after birth. This opening allows some blood to bypass the filtering system of the lungs. As a result, unfiltered, deoxygenated blood may be pumped throughout the body and brain.

Percutaneous
Through the skin and, in this case, using a catheter.

Platelets
The part of blood that forms clots around injuries.

Randomized
A system by which the outcome of a decision will not be predictable before-hand. In the case of the RESPECT Trial, the treatment you receive is determined by chance (like the flip of a coin).

Recurrent stroke
Strokes that occur after a patient's initial one.

Standard-of-care treatment
In the case of stroke patients, treatment with medications that thin the blood by making the platelets less "sticky," or drugs that act on other blood components to decrease clotting.

Stroke
A sudden loss of brain function caused by a blockage or rupture of a blood vessel to the brain. Stroke causes loss of muscular control, loss of sensation or consciousness, dizziness, slurred speech, or other symptoms, depending on the extent and severity of the damage to the brain.