Lotem said that during the heart catheterization procedure doctors would use a thin plastic tube to insert an "umbrella-like" device that will seal the hole between the two upper chambers of the heart.

CNN: Sharon heart operation set for Thursday

Jude's device, called the Amplatzer PFO Occluder, is used to seal a flap-like passageway between the left and right atriums of the heart.

WSJ: Doctors Debate Whether Strokes Be Prevented With a Heart-Plug Procedure