Gilbert Berg's Cardiac Care

When 93-year-old Gilbert Berg’s cardiac defibrillator activated twice in a short period one evening after dinner, his daughter Kathleen Berg knew just what to do.

Berg is a longtime patient of renowned Orlando cardiologist Dr. David Bello so she and her family reached out and were instructed to head to the UCF Lake Nona Hospital ER.

Her father suffers from V-Tach or ventricular tachycardia which is a serious heart rhythm disorder where the ventricles beat rapidly and irregularly. The condition is dangerous because it can cause the heart to beat so fast that it can’t pump enough blood to the body, and the fact that the defibrillator activated twice was a bad sign.

“I checked him in at the front registration desk in the ER and went to park the car. By the time I came back he was already being seen,” Kathleen said. “I couldn’t believe it - he had an IV started and labs done, with a line of people out the door ready to care for him.”

Kathleen and her sister Ginny DuBose stayed with their father throughout his days in the hospital and shared the positive experience their father received as a patient. “Everyone was smiling and pleasant and we literally felt like we were the only patients being cared for,” Ginny said. “My dad’s had great care.”

“As a nurse of 43 years, I’ve seen a lot and this is the best hospital stay we’ve had anywhere,” she said. “We will be back.”