The situation
Recovered from a mild stroke, the patient's home system called the cause 'cryptogenic' and prescribed aspirin. At 45, 'we don't know why' felt unacceptable.
What we did
We built a five-day cause-finding week at Beijing Tiantan Hospital: repeat MRI with vessel imaging, prolonged rhythm monitoring, echocardiography with bubble study, and a stroke-neurologist consult with interpreter.
What was found
The bubble study showed a PFO (a common heart wall opening) with high-risk features — a plausible mechanism the home workup hadn't checked. The written report recommended closure evaluation and adjusted prevention therapy.
Outcome
The patient took the English dossier home; closure was performed locally under insurance, with Beijing findings accepted directly by the home cardiologist.
*This is an anonymized, composite case based on real coordination journeys; identifying details are changed or combined for privacy. Outcomes vary — nothing here is a promise of results.*