Penguins' Kris Letang Has Surgery to Repair Hole in Heart, Recovery to Take 4-6 Weeks

Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang underwent successful surgery to repair a hole in his heart, Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas announced Wednesday.

His expected recovery time is four to six weeks.

The procedure involved closing a patent foramen ovale (PFO), or "small hole in the heart," according to the Penguins. The surgery was performed at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital by Dr. Conrad Smith.

The Penguins, who are already eliminated from playoff contention, end the 2024-25 season on Thursday against the visiting Washington Capitals.

Letang has suffered two strokes during his NHL career, the first in 2014 when he was 26 years old.

Testing at the time revealed Letang had a PFO in the wall of his heart since birth, which doctors concluded could have contributed to the stroke, according to the team. He was prescribed blood thinners and spent 10 weeks away from the Penguins toward the end of the 2013-14 season.

Letang then suffered a second stroke during his age-35 season in November 2022. He returned to the team less than two weeks later, in part thanks to both a milder stroke and prior knowledge of what had caused it.

Everyone is born with a PFO, and more than a quarter of people still have the hole in their heart past infancy, according to the American Heart Association.

The demands of the NHL could potentially exacerbate the risks associated with the condition, director of Cleveland Clinic’s Cerebrovascular Center Dr. M. Shazam Hussain told TribLive's Justin Vellucci after Letang's second stroke in 2022.

Hussain told Vellucci that "the physical strain of constant physical activity can stress the heart, and there is some speculation that it can even predispose someone to have more of a risk of stroke.”

Letang has been the Penguins' top defenseman for the last 15 seasons despite multiple serious health concerns, including the two strokes in addition to multiple concussions, broken bones and a herniated disc in his neck.

He was nevertheless once again a go-to option for the Penguins on the power play, penalty kill and at even strength in 2024-25. He averaged 23:32 of ice time through 74 games.

The veteran defenseman, who will turn 38 later this month, is signed through the 2027-28 season.