Hip Fracture and Patent Foramen Ovale

Ereth et al. showed in 1992, using transesophageal echocardiography, that the implantation of a hip prosthesis may be complicated by intracardiac embolization of various origin. A patent foramen ovale exists in approximately one fifth of the population; it facilitates the passage of embolus from the right heart to the left one and then especially to the coronary vessels and to the brain. The hypothesis supported in this research is that the prevalence of postoperative complications, especially neurological ones, is increased after surgery for hip fracture when patients have a patent foramen ovale.