Significant medical research has been conducted on the effectiveness of PFO closure in preventing a second “cryptogenic” stroke.

The findings of this research have shown a significant lowering of recurring stroke risk among patients who have had previous strokes.

In a study known as the RESPECT Trial (short for Randomized Evaluation of Recurrent Stroke Comparing PFO Closure to Established Current Standard of Care Treatment), the risk of having a second stroke was about 45-62 percent less in people who had the PFO device closure than in those who used blood thinners alone. However, it is important to know that the RESPECT Trial found both methods to be very effective.