Most people with a patent foramen ovale don't need treatment. Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a hole between your heart's upper chambers.Patent foramen transcatheter repair is a procedure to fix this hole in the heart. Normally, the atrial septum separates the right and left atria. 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 (PFO) is a hole between the left and right atria (upper chambers) of the heart. This hole exists in everyone before birth. However, it may cause serious complications under certain circumstances.