Phillip Leever
You Can Tell that Patients are their Priority
Heart-healthy most of his life, 73-year-old retiree Phillip Leever was diagnosed in early 2025 with a common heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation (AFib), shortly after he and his wife, Pamela, relocated to Pompano Beach.
Then, additional heart problems brought him to the Emergency Department (ED) at Broward Health North. Thanks to advanced treatments from his multispecialty cardiac team, Phillip’s heart is on the mend, and he’s back to doing the activities he loves.
On July 8, Phillip experienced chest pain and shortness of breath. An ambulance was called, and Phillip asked that they take him to Broward Health North based on the excellent care two of his family members previously experienced at the facility.
In the ED, Phillip received essential tests, including an electrocardiogram, a chest x-ray and blood work before being admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). That’s where he met Broward Health Physician Group board-certified cardiologist David Paris, M.D.
“I liked his confident, caring bedside manner and how he communicated with me,” said Phillip. “I knew I wanted him to be my doctor.”
Based on his symptoms and test results, Dr. Paris recommended a cardiac catheterization. This minimally invasive procedure is performed under local anesthesia. A thin, hollow tube called a catheter is inserted into a vein or artery and guided to the heart to determine whether there are blockages in the arteries that supply the heart.
The procedure was performed by Joseph McKeown, D.O., a board-certified interventional cardiologist with the Broward Health Physician Group. Dr. McKeown found a blockage in one of Phillip’s coronary arteries and placed a stent to help restore blood flow.
Phillip immediately felt better and was soon enjoying his breakfast in his hospital room. He remained in the hospital for a short time and says he received excellent care from the attentive nurses and staff.
“You can tell that patients are their priority,” said Phillip. “They’re so good about coming to the room just to make sure you’re ok and responding quickly when you ring for them.”
During this visit, Dr. Paris also called upon his colleague, Jonathan Nieves, M.D., another board-certified Broward Health Physician Group cardiologist. Dr. Nieves specializes in electrophysiology, which involves examining the heart’s electrical activity to address arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (AFib). AFib happens when the upper chambers of the heart (atria) beat abnormally fast and unevenly, leading to symptoms like a rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, chest discomfort, dizziness, lightheadedness and even fainting.
The doctors recommended cardiac ablation, another minimally invasive procedure in which abnormal electrical pathways that cause arrhythmia are destroyed. Dr. Nieves performed a successful outpatient procedure on August 16 in the hospital’s brand new, state-of-the-art cardiac services suite.
During his hospital stay, Dr. Paris also found that Phillip was experiencing reduced heart function through a measure called ejection fraction, which measures the percentage of blood pumped from the ventricle with each heartbeat. Dr. Paris prescribed medication and monitored Phillip’s progress.
His ejection fraction returned to the normal range, between 55% and 70%.
“I went from a heart function percentage of 15% to the normal range within six months of care,” said Phillip. “I have gone from taking 12 pills a day to three a day.”
Today, Phillip’s cardiac symptoms have improved, and he is back to his normal activities like walking on the beach and spending time with his wife.
“Pamela and I like doing things together,” said Phillip. “We like to travel, and we’re always on the go. Now, thanks to the care I received from my Broward Health team, the future is wide open to us. Whatever we decide to do, we’re going to be able to do it. We are so blessed to have found the Broward Health team. I truly believe that I am alive today because of them.”