Consultation on PFO Closure
- Lauren Hartney
NHS England has launched a 30-day consultation on a policy proposition for percutaneous patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure for prevention of recurrent cerebral embolic stroke.
We know how significant this is for many of our beneficiaries, so we’re very pleased that NHS England is consulting on this, and recommending that PFO Closure be made available.
It would be great if as many stroke survivors as possible could comment on this consultation.
Please have a look at the documents on this link, especially the clinicial commissioning policy proposition, and then take part in the short online survey.
Some key points to be noted in the policy proposition are:
- PFO is the most common association of cryptogenic stroke in patients aged below 55 years.
- Based on studies which have taken place in recent years, patients undergoing PFO closure have a significantly lower risk of recurrent stroke than individuals who are treated with medical therapy alone
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has no concerns about the safety of percutaneous PFO closure
- NHS England has concluded that there is sufficient evidence to support a proposal for the routine commissioning of this treatment
Please ensure that you comment as an individual – ie for Q2 asking ‘are you responding on behalf of an organisation’ you should answer No.
The consultation ends on Wednesday 27th March.
