A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is present in \~30% of the general population. The PFO has historically been considered to be trivial. However, recent work by the investigator's group and others has identified that, compared to individuals without a PFO, those with a PFO have worse pulmonary gas exchange efficiency, have a higher core body temperature, blunted ventilatory responses to chronic hypoxia and acute carbon dioxide and increased susceptibility to altitude illnesses such as acute mountain sickness, and high altitude pulmonary edema (Lovering, Elliott \& Davis J Appl Physiol 2016). Specific to this application,subjects with a PFO may have worse pulmonary gas exchange efficiency because a PFO is a potential source of right-to-left shunt that will make pulmonary gas exchange efficiency worse. If true, then this may negatively impact exercise capacity and/or exercise tolerance. Further, in those with a PFO compared to those without, preliminary work from the investigator's lab indicates that there may be an effect of PFO size on pulmonary gas exchange efficiency. This is such that those with a large PFO (grade 3 or higher) display significantly worse gas exchange efficiency compared to those with a small (grade 2 or lower) or no PFO,even at low exercise workloads. Additionally, the investigators were curious as to whether there would be a sex effect, but due to logistical constraints, the investigators were unable to recruit an equal number of female and male subjects. Thus, in addition to the potential size effect on the investigators outcome measures, the investigators would like to build on this work by examining the potential effect of biological sex. Although a PFO has been traditionally considered to have a minimal impact of physiology and pathophysiology, emerging evidence suggests this may not be the case. The investigator's lab is focused on understanding how and why a relatively small hole in the heart (PFO) can have a relatively large impact on cardiopulmonary and respiratory physiology, and how these impacts may be based on the size of the PFO.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
28
Cardiorespiratory and Pulmonary Physiology Lab
Eugene, Oregon, United States
alveolar-arterial difference in oxygen
difference in the partial pressure of oxygen between the alveoli (calculated) and arterial blood (direct measure)
Time frame: Baseline
aerobic exercise capacity
ability to utilize oxygen while exercising, AKA Vo2MAX
Time frame: Baseline
six-minute walk test
distance covered in 6 minutes of walking
Time frame: Baseline
minute flow of intrapulmonary areterio-venous anastamoses (QIPAVA)
minute flow through intrapulmonary arteriovenous anastamoses
Time frame: Baseline
core body temperature
subject's core body temperature as measured through an ingestible pill
Time frame: Baseline
level of tumor necrosis factor alpha
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of C-C motif cytokine 2
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interferon alpha 2
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interferon gamma
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interleukin 1 beta
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interleukin 6
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interleukin 8
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interleukin 10
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interleukin 12p70
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interleukin 17 alpha
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interleukin 18
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interleukin 23
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of interleukin 33
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of myoglobin
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of myeloid-related protein 8/14
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline and 3 months post percutaneous closure
level of c-reactive protein
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
matrix metallopeptidase 2
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline and 3 months post percutaneous closure
level of osteopontin
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of myloperoxidase
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of Serum amyloid A
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of insulin like growth factor binding protein 4
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of intracellular adhesion molecule 1
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of vascular cell adhesion protein 1
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of metallopeptidase 9
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
level of Cystatin C
inflammatory marker
Time frame: Baseline
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