Frank Carbonell

Mr. Francisco Carbonell suffered from heart problems for 11 years following a heart attack. He often had trouble walking up flights of stairs and was winded after too much exertion. He had a defibrillator implanted and had no serious episodes in the last two years until one night, while he was asleep, he had a heart attack. The defibrillator went off and reset his heart rhythm. His doctors indicated he would have died if it weren’t for the defibrillator. He followed up with his cardiologist, Dr. Sergio Barrios, who referred him to Dr. John Breaux at Lakeview Hospital.

“Mr.Carbonell true pathology was a giant left ventricular aneurysm,” said Dr. Breaux. “Half of his heart had died following his first heart attack. After a few hours at home, he went to the hospital, spent time in the ER, then got a catheter and a stent. The vessel responsible for the heart attack was reopened 9 hours after the pain started.” Generally, the heart muscle needs to be rescued within six hours before the damage is permanent. Over time, the dead muscle becomes scar tissue, and the scar thins out and balloons in, creating an aneurysm. “Mr. Carbonell was always told that there was nothing anyone could do. He got progressively weaker. He would tell his wife, Nancy of things he wanted to do and places he wanted to take her to see. She would smile on the outside but cry on the inside because she knew it would never happen.”

Following a recent angiogram, Dr. Breaux indicated he could repair Mr. Carbonell heart with a surgical procedure. So, in mid-July, Mr. Carbonell went to Lakeview Hospital for surgery. He is 6-weeks post-surgery and feeling so much better. He and his wife are now making plans for a bright future.

“The staff members and doctors at Lakeview Hospital treated me and my wife very well,” said Mr. Carbonell. “I felt comfortable and relieved to have had the procedure."