“Deborah saved my life”

Not once, but twice!

Ask Pardo Spedaliere where the best heart hospital is, and without hesitation the Knights of Columbus field agent answers, “Deborah Heart and Lung Center.” Pardo is one of three Spedaliere family members who have received vital heart care at Deborah. “My dad had heart disease,” Pardo says, “and was a longtime Deborah patient. So is my 33-year-old son, who’s been coming here since he was a baby.”

Getting a diagnosis

Pardo, a 60-year-old grandfather from Bayville, had retired after 35 years with Public Service Electric and Gas when he began having palpitations and high blood pressure. Even after eliminating his long commute and job stress, he just didn’t feel right. “The palpitations were bad, and I started fainting,” he says. “I would have spells out of nowhere. My first fainting spell happened in a restaurant while we were on vacation in 2004.” Pardo visited several physicians and emergency rooms. Finally, his primary care physician suspected loss of oxygen and heart problems. Pardo said at the time, “If it’s my heart, I want to go to Deborah.”

Lifesaving treatment

“They took me in right away, and my Deborah cardiologist, Alexander Poulathas, D.O., told me, ‘You’re not leaving here without us knowing what’s wrong with you,’” says Pardo. That visit, he says, was the first time Deborah saved his life. After a week of close monitoring, the problem was discovered. “Raffaele Corbisiero, M.D., Deborah’s Electromechanical Therapy Institute Director, told me the electrical impulses from my brain to my heart were cuckoo. They were too fast; they were too slow,” says Pardo. “I needed a pacemaker and defibrillator.” That same day in January 2005, Pardo’s device was implanted, and he immediately felt better.

Another Deborah visit

Pardo enjoyed years of good health until just a few months ago, when he started having palpitations again. “I went to Deborah for an evaluation and learned I had a chronic arrhythmia,” says Pardo. “After Dr. Corbisiero added a fourth wire to my device, my palpitations stopped and my breathing returned to normal.” That, he says, is the second time Deborah saved his life. “There’s no better hospital,” Pardo says. “The physicians, the support staff and the nurses are all the absolute best. If you’re sick with heart problems, Deborah is the place you want to be. I’m very thankful for Deborah.”

Learn more about how Deborah Heart and Lung Center can help you or your loved one. Visit www.deborah.org today!