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Stingray barb taken from man's heart
Florida boater in critical condition after surgeries; fish had flopped onto his boat
By KATHLEEN MCGRORY
MIAMI HERALD
MIAMI - A day after a stingray flipped aboard a boat and attacked an 81-year-old man, doctors described their race against the clock to find the fish's knife-like barb and keep it from damaging the man's heart.
Meanwhile, members of James Bertakis' family said at a news conference they were confident he would survive the bizarre attack that has drawn national attention.
Late Thursday, Bertakis remained in critical but stable condition at Broward General Medical Center. Doctors, who were monitoring Bertakis' lungs and kidneys, were cautiously optimistic he would recover.
Said Dr. Eugene Costantini, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Broward General: "He's had a lot of surgery in two days. As long as we don't have any problems, God willing, he'll survive this. He's lucky to be alive."
Bertakis' strange encounter happened about 1 p.m. Wednesday when he was on his 16-foot jet boat on the Florida Intracoastal Waterway. The spotted eagle stingray leaped out of the water, slid across the bow of the boat and collided with him in mid-air, family members said.
A friend of the family, also on the boat, said she was startled by Bertakis' screams and turned around to find the fish sitting in Bertakis' lap.
Before he could swat it away, the stingray stuck its toxic barb into Bertakis' chest. The sting left him bloodied and in excruciating pain, paramedics said.
But he took control of the boat and dashed back to his nearby home on the canal. Bertakis then called 911, according to family members.
When paramedics responded minutes later at his house, Bertakis was lying on the floor, conscious and breathing, said Lt. Mike Sullivan of the Lighthouse Point Fire Department. He appeared to have a massive cut across his chest.
Bertakis was treated at North Broward Medical Center for a collapsed lung. But when surgeons went to remove the barb from the man's chest, they made a grim discovery: It had migrated to Bertakis' heart. Worse, it had pierced the left ventricle.
He was airlifted to Broward General's cardiovascular center and went into surgery just after 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Time was critical, according to doctors, who said each beat of Bertakis' heart was drawing the barb deeper into the muscle.
By the time surgeons at Broward General found it on a cardiogram, the sharp tip was already poking out the right wall.
Thankfully, doctors said, the barb had remained lodged in a left wall of his heart, plugging the hole it created when it first entered.
They pulled the barb through the heart and repaired the two puncture sites.
Costantini, the cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Broward General, described the barb as "serrated like a combat knife on both edges" and "extremely sharp" at the point.
Later, doctors had to remove Bertakis' spleen due to complications from the earlier surgery.
Doctors credited Bertakis' survival to the quick response of paramedics and physicians - and his excellent health.
Family members - including four sons who traveled from Michigan overnight - were hardly surprised.
"He never admits he's over 69 years old," said his son, Chris, with a laugh. "He is an incredible man."
Another son, Jim, agreed.
"He's a fighter, and he's going to get through it," he said. "With God's blessing, he's going to get through it."
Stingray barb taken from man's heart
Florida boater in critical condition after surgeries; fish had flopped onto his boat
By KATHLEEN MCGRORY
MIAMI HERALD
MIAMI - A day after a stingray flipped aboard a boat and attacked an 81-year-old man, doctors described their race against the clock to find the fish's knife-like barb and keep it from damaging the man's heart.
Meanwhile, members of James Bertakis' family said at a news conference they were confident he would survive the bizarre attack that has drawn national attention.
Late Thursday, Bertakis remained in critical but stable condition at Broward General Medical Center. Doctors, who were monitoring Bertakis' lungs and kidneys, were cautiously optimistic he would recover.
Said Dr. Eugene Costantini, a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Broward General: "He's had a lot of surgery in two days. As long as we don't have any problems, God willing, he'll survive this. He's lucky to be alive."
Bertakis' strange encounter happened about 1 p.m. Wednesday when he was on his 16-foot jet boat on the Florida Intracoastal Waterway. The spotted eagle stingray leaped out of the water, slid across the bow of the boat and collided with him in mid-air, family members said.
A friend of the family, also on the boat, said she was startled by Bertakis' screams and turned around to find the fish sitting in Bertakis' lap.
Before he could swat it away, the stingray stuck its toxic barb into Bertakis' chest. The sting left him bloodied and in excruciating pain, paramedics said.
But he took control of the boat and dashed back to his nearby home on the canal. Bertakis then called 911, according to family members.
When paramedics responded minutes later at his house, Bertakis was lying on the floor, conscious and breathing, said Lt. Mike Sullivan of the Lighthouse Point Fire Department. He appeared to have a massive cut across his chest.
Bertakis was treated at North Broward Medical Center for a collapsed lung. But when surgeons went to remove the barb from the man's chest, they made a grim discovery: It had migrated to Bertakis' heart. Worse, it had pierced the left ventricle.
He was airlifted to Broward General's cardiovascular center and went into surgery just after 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Time was critical, according to doctors, who said each beat of Bertakis' heart was drawing the barb deeper into the muscle.
By the time surgeons at Broward General found it on a cardiogram, the sharp tip was already poking out the right wall.
Thankfully, doctors said, the barb had remained lodged in a left wall of his heart, plugging the hole it created when it first entered.
They pulled the barb through the heart and repaired the two puncture sites.
Costantini, the cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon at Broward General, described the barb as "serrated like a combat knife on both edges" and "extremely sharp" at the point.
Later, doctors had to remove Bertakis' spleen due to complications from the earlier surgery.
Doctors credited Bertakis' survival to the quick response of paramedics and physicians - and his excellent health.
Family members - including four sons who traveled from Michigan overnight - were hardly surprised.
"He never admits he's over 69 years old," said his son, Chris, with a laugh. "He is an incredible man."
Another son, Jim, agreed.
"He's a fighter, and he's going to get through it," he said. "With God's blessing, he's going to get through it."
