Heart problems for a book

Hi:

I'm writing a book in which a 6 year old is in a hospital with VSD and having a patch placed over the hole.
This is a work of fiction for young adults but I do need to get my facts straight.

My question is the 6 year old is:  Would I be correct in saying the first patch was put in place when he was four and is being removed and replaced now with a new patch?
Why would an old patch need to be replaced?
Also is this surgery performed by a cardio thoracic surgeon?

Thanks
Genie

Thanks,

Genie

[ireneo]

I honestly don't know but when I went to a health fair a few years ago, they had a table of the "patches" used for closing holes. It was like a collapsed umbrella - they insert it via catheter, place it and then pop it open. My understanding is that the heart tissue adheres in time to the mesh structure so it doesn't shift. I'm not sure how they would remove that without tearing a larger hole in the heart structure. But I'm not a cardiac surgeon either.

[jrbon]

I think Irineo is right,

Have a look at this:

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/disorders/congenital/pfo.aspx

[ed34]

I don't think it has to be replaced at any time because tissue grows to cover the hole once the implant is in place. This will grow with the heart.