Kris Letang underwent successful surgery to close a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a small hole in his heart.
Letang will miss the Penguins' regular-season finale on Thursday, but is expected to be back on the ice well before training camp next season, with an anticipated recovery time is 4-6 weeks.
Letang suffered his first stroke in 2014, and then a less severe one in 2022. After his first stroke it was discovered that he had the PFO, and it was thought to be the cause of the stroke.
Everyone is born with a hole between the upper chambers of the heart, but the hole closes up for roughly 75% of people in infancy. If the hole does not close up, the risk of stroke remains low, but the hole allows unfiltered blood and potentially clots to pass through and possibly reach the brain. When someone as young as Letang has a stroke, doctors will check for a PFO, which is how Letang's was discovered. A PFO doesn't necessarily have to be repaired after a stroke, but if it is to be repaired, there are two possible procedures to do it -- open-heart surgery, or a device inserted into the hole with a catheter via major blood vessels.
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THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
1:05 pm - 04.16.2025Cranberry, Pa.Letang undergoes heart surgery
Kris Letang underwent successful surgery to close a patent foramen ovale (PFO), a small hole in his heart.
Letang will miss the Penguins' regular-season finale on Thursday, but is expected to be back on the ice well before training camp next season, with an anticipated recovery time is 4-6 weeks.
Letang suffered his first stroke in 2014, and then a less severe one in 2022. After his first stroke it was discovered that he had the PFO, and it was thought to be the cause of the stroke.
Everyone is born with a hole between the upper chambers of the heart, but the hole closes up for roughly 75% of people in infancy. If the hole does not close up, the risk of stroke remains low, but the hole allows unfiltered blood and potentially clots to pass through and possibly reach the brain. When someone as young as Letang has a stroke, doctors will check for a PFO, which is how Letang's was discovered. A PFO doesn't necessarily have to be repaired after a stroke, but if it is to be repaired, there are two possible procedures to do it -- open-heart surgery, or a device inserted into the hole with a catheter via major blood vessels.
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