Question:

In TMLR, do holes heal like a normal cut, or remain clotted?

The small holes in the heart wall after TMLR are clotted to stop the bleeding. What would happen if the heart wall starts to leak into the heart cavity?

Submitted by Lee from Chattanooga, Tennessee on 01/07/2015

Answer:
by O. H. Frazier, MD

In Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization (TMLR), the holes on the outer surface of the heart clot and heal over. The holes on the inner surface stay open and supply extra blood to the heart.