Most people with a patent foramen ovale don't need treatment. The healthcare provider inserts the catheter through a blood vessel in the groin and guides it to the PFO.A patent foramen ovale is a small, flaplike opening in the wall between the upper chambers of the heart. The foramen ovale is a hole in the wall between the left and right atria of every human fetus. This hole allows blood to bypass the fetal lungs. Patent Foramen Ovale - Find a PCP or Specialist. A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a small opening between the two upper chambers of the heart, the right and the left atrium. A patent foramen ovale occurs when a hole that is always present in a newborn's heart fails to close as it should once the lungs begin to function after birth. Patent foramen transcatheter repair is a procedure to fix this hole in the heart. Normally, the atrial septum separates the right and left atria.