For as long as Juan Ravelo can remember, his life has been spent on the water. “I’ve been boating for over 50 years. You go out on the water and you’re free. It’s just you and the ocean and all the marine life,” says the active and energetic 69-year-old. The “salt life” is the reason he ended up moving to Taverner, a small town in the middle Florida Keys, where he has a home on the water.

Mr. Ravelo recalls visiting the area for the first time as an eight-year-old in 1963, driving with his family all the way from New York to visit an older relative in Key West. It was love at first sight for the youngster, who even back then dreamed of living in the Florida Keys someday. “I’ve always been called by the water, by the ocean, by this kind of lifestyle,” he says.

“It’s such a unique place. You’ve got water on both sides. You see the ocean, you see the bay, you see the sunsets, you see the sunrise. The water’s very clear and warm. And people are friendly. You can be sitting at a restaurant next to a millionaire or somebody who lives on a sailboat; down here they’re all the same,” observes Mr. Ravelo. “I just love it here. I’m never leaving. I’ve told my kids, 'The day I’m gone, spread my ashes here.’”

(Watch now:You want to trust the guy who’s threading a catheter up inside your heart. I trusted him," says Juan Ravelo of electrophysiologist Bryan Wilner, M.D., at Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, who treated his atrial fibrillation with a remarkably effective procedure known as a catheter ablation. Video by Alex Calienes, Gort Productions.)

His Smart Watch Alerts Him to a Heart Problem

A few years ago, Mr. Ravelo’s sister in New Jersey told him she had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or Afib, an electrical problem within the heart that causes an irregular heart rhythm, or arrhythmia. She said she was now wearing a smart watch to help her track the frequency and duration of her Afib episodes and she suggested he try wearing his, just to see what it might tell him about his health.

“For the most part, I’ve always been a healthy individual and didn’t have to worry about anything,” says Mr. Ravelo. “But I listened to her and I put on my smart watch. I started getting these alerts and came to realize that I was having episodes of AFib.” He went to see his cardiologist at Baptist Health Mariners Hospital, who diagnosed him with Afib and prescribed an oral medication that would help control its symptoms and, hopefully, forestall its progression.

The medication worked for a while, enough so that Mr. Ravelo stopped wearing his Apple Watch. However, as is the case with some Afib medications, their effectiveness can decrease over time. His Afib episodes returned and became more frequent. “I was getting tired easily and eventually I was in constant Afib,” says Mr. Ravelo, who was referred to a specialist “up on the mainland,” Bryan Wilner, M.D., an electrophysiologist with Baptist Health Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute.

What Exactly is Atrial Fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm, according to Dr. Wilner, who has special expertise in the medical management of complex arrhythmias. “The way that electricity normally conducts in the heart, you have a beat in the top chamber as it contracts, followed by a beat in the bottom chamber,” he explains. “With atrial fibrillation, the top chamber isn’t getting a nice, coordinated contraction; it fibrillates, so the beat is irregular. That in turn causes the bottom chamber’s beat to be irregular as well.”

When this happens, Dr. Wilner continues, blood isn’t being pumped out adequately and isn’t getting to where it needs to go, and this can increase the risk of stroke. “That’s why if someone has any symptoms of atrial fibrillation, it’s so important that they be diagnosed and treated appropriately.” A quick and painless electrocardiogram (EKG) can easily confirm if someone has AFib, he adds.

A More Effective Treatment for Atrial Fibrillation

Dr. Wilner suggested that Mr. Ravelo would be a good candidate for a catheter ablation, which has been shown to be highly effective in treating Afib. This minimally invasive outpatient procedure, which targets the abnormal heart tissue that is the underlying cause of the arrhythmia, involves threading a tiny wire through the groin and up into the top chamber of the heart. Then, a painless burst of energy is delivered to ablate the areas where atrial fibrillation originates from.

“This essentially prevents the electricity that triggers the atrial fibrillation from leaving the pulmonary veins, keeping the heart in normal sinus rhythm,” says Dr. Wilner. By preventing the progression of atrial fibrillation, you also decrease the risk of stroke, heart failure and improve quality of life.

“We have multiple long-term studies that show ablation is more effective than medication in treating AFib,” says Dr. Wilner. “The outcomes are excellent, which is why it’s so common now. You come in the morning, you have the procedure done, you leave later that day and you’re back to living your life a day or two later.”

Catheter Ablation for Afib Has Excellent Outcomes

Mr. Ravelo says his catheter ablation was “outstanding” and one of the best experiences of his life. “When I came out of the anesthesia, I had this sudden burst of energy that I hadn’t experienced in a couple of years and it hasn’t stopped. I feel great, like I was 10, 15 years younger,” he proclaims, adding that he hasn’t had any recurrence of AFib since his procedure. “My recovery has been excellent and I’ve never had a relapse.”

Dr. Wilner is pleased with Mr. Ravelo’s outcome and says there is nothing more rewarding than knowing you’ve really changed a patient’s quality of life. “Mr. Ravelo is doing great. Within about a year and a half of his initial diagnosis, his heart continues to beat in normal sinus rhythm and he’s no longer having episodes of atrial fibrillation. And every time I talk to him, he tells me how much more energy he has.”

Mr. Ravelo has nothing but praise for Dr. Wilner. “Dr. Wilner was exceptional, a true professional. He was very comforting when you spoke with him and he explained things very well,” says Mr. Ravelo. “You want to trust the guy who’s going to thread a catheter up inside your heart and I trusted him. I felt like I had known him all my life and knew that I was in good hands. That’s all that counted for me.”

Mr. Ravelo, who has relied on the quality, compassionate care provided by Baptist Health before, says his experience at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute was excellent. “The doctors and staff provide such excellent care. They made me feel at home and very, very comfortable. I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” he says. “Baptist Health is phenomenal. I wouldn’t even consider going anywhere else. Because when I find something that works, I stick with it.”

To schedule an appointment or refer a patient, please call 786-204-4204.