How did shortness of breath lead to the heart?

Butler County Heart Walk

When: 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 12; registration starts at 9 a.m.

Where: Fitton Center for the Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton

Info: (513) 281-4048 or www.heartwalk.kintera.org

Middletown Area Heart Walk

When: 10 a.m. Sept. 19

Where: Atrium YMCA (registration) and Atrium Medical Center walking trail, 1 Medical Center Drive, Middletown

Info: (513) 423-2142 or visit heartwalk.kintera.org/middletownoh

MIDDLETOWN — When George Morgan started having trouble breathing last October, his doctors thought then that the problem involved the 85-year-old’s lungs.

Morgan, a lung cancer survivor, never imagined a trip to Atrium Medical Center’s emergency room in April would reveal the source of his distress was fluid buildup around his heart.

“We found that there was fluid compressing his heart, and as it compressed, the cardiac output to the body decreased,” said Dr. Gary Brown, of the Middletown Cardiology Association and one of Morgan’s doctors.

Medical personnel on April 14 gave Morgan a cardiac ultrasound that identified the buildup of fluid.

Morgan, married 63 years, has been no stranger to the hospital over the past 20 years. Three back surgeries, a rotator cuff surgery, and lung cancer are a few of the ailments he has experienced.

But his heart condition was a rarity, according to his doctors.

For most such cases, viral-like symptoms result from upper respiratory problems. And in Morgan’s case, it was the result of a cold he had earlier in the week. But what is unusual is that Morgan’s case was so severe.

“It’s nice to know that you’re not just an ordinary person,” Morgan joked.

An echo-guided pericardialcentesis helped pump fluid through his body, and Morgan also underwent a pericardial window operation that drained all the extra fluid.

“The morning of the 15th, the birds sang better than they ever had before,” Morgan said.

Although the severity of Morgan’s case is rare, inflammation and fluid buildup are common after respiratory infections such as flu or a cold.

“People should start being concerned,” Brown said, “if a week or so after the initial acute respiratory problems go away and they are still feeling shortness of breath ... that usually indicates there is a fluid buildup around the heart.”

Morgan’s recovery period was a short two-week span, and he says he’s feeling better now and playing golf as often as he can.