DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. — Phillip Leever, 74, and his wife, Pamela, had just moved to Pompano Beach, ready to enjoy retired life, when a sudden health scare threatened to upend everything.
What first felt like indigestion, he feared something more was going on.
Leever then went to the nearest walk-in clinic — a decision he says saved his life.
“The doctor and staff at that time asked me to walk to the end of the hall then back to his office,” he said. “By the time I got back to the office, he said, ‘I’m about to call 911. You’re about to have a heart attack,”' he recalled the doctor telling him.
Leever had been diagnosed a few months earlier with a common heart condition, A-Fib, but this episode was different.
He had developed heart failure.
That’s when Leever was rushed to Broward Health North, at his request, where a team of doctors got right to work.
“A-Fib is a very irregular rhythm,” said Dr. Jonathan Nieves, who treated Leever at Broward Health North.
After a stent was placed to restore blood flow, Leever underwent a cardiac ablation, a minimally invasive procedure that destroys abnormal electrical pathways to restore a normal heart rhythm.
“We have no scalpels involved. It’s all done through large IV’s that go in through the groin.” Nieves said of the procedure. “It’s successful in about 85% of the time and it almost entirely gets rid of the atrial fibrilation and any symptoms associated with it.”
Leever went home the same day. His recovery has continued steadily. His heart function improved from 15% to 50% in just six months.
Leever said he can now take long walks on the beach with his wife without shortness of breath or worry.
While A-Fib is the most common heart arrhythmia, it cannot be diagnosed without an EKG.
Common symptoms include shortness of breath, a racing heart, and fatigue. Leever’s advice: trust your gut, and if something doesn’t feel right, go to the doctor. It could make the difference between life and death.
Local 10 invites you to join our mission to raise critical funds for heart education, research and treatment. To learn more and donate, visit the fundraising page of Local 10 anchor Jenise Fernandez.
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