Padres pitcher Doug Brocail undergoes heart surgery

By: JOHN MAFFEI - Staff Writer | Saturday, March 11, 2006 11:31 PM PST ∞

PEORIA, Ariz. ---- Veteran Doug Brocail, a man who was being counted on to supply innings and leadership in the Padres bullpen this season, underwent heart surgery that may have saved his life Saturday morning, throwing his baseball future into question.

The 38-year Brocail, who last pitched on Tuesday, had complained of chest tightness that radiated into both arms after his last appearance, a one-inning stint against the Giants.

On Wednesday, Brocail, who has asthma and was also receiving treatment for an abscessed tooth, sought a second opinion from a local physician in Phoenix. That physician confirmed the treatment of the Padres team physician, Dr. Harry Albers, and Padres trainer Todd Hutcheson, who prescribed antibiotics and an asthma inhaler.

Just to make 100 percent sure all was well, Albers then ordered a stress test. It came back abnormal.

"The next step," Albers said, "was high testing, injecting an isotope with exercise.

"We found a large abnormality on the front wall of the heart, a blockage. He wasn't getting significant blood to the heart under stress."

The medical staff didn't feel comfortable putting Brocail on a plane to San Diego, so he was admitted to Boswell Memorial Hospital in nearby Sun City.

Surgery was delayed until Saturday because of a reaction to iodine.

What Albers found during the 60-minute procedure was a 99-percent blockage of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) ---- one of three coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart.

"The LAD is the major pumping station of the heart," said Albers. "That's why this was a potentially lethal condition."

Doctors performed an angioplasty on Brocail, where a balloon is inserted to open the artery. Then a stent (a synthetic straw-like tube) was inserted to assure the artery remains open.

Brocail is expected to remain in the hospital for three or four days and could resume exercising in two weeks.

That, however, doesn't mean he'll pitch again.

Albers said he has performed the same procedure on people who have come back to run marathons.

"But I don't know of any professional athlete who has had this procedure and resumed his career," he said.

Brocail pitched in 61 games for the Texas Rangers last season and was with the Padres from 1992-94.

So Hutcheson is familiar with him.

Hutcheson said there is a history of heart problems on both sides of Brocail's family. And that Brocail was a heavy user of tobacco ---- dipping and chewing ---- which increases the risk for heart blockage.

"Doug is a tough, strong-willed, determined athlete," Hutcheson said. "Once he gets clearance, we'll come up with a plan for conditioning and getting his arm in shape.

"His honesty with us, keeping us up to date on how he felt, saved his life.

"The biggest battle with Doug, when he's ready, is to put the reins on him. We must develop a plan. Then we'll have a better idea when he might be game ready.

"Personally, I think he'll pitch again."

Padres general manager Kevin Towers wasn't so quick to make that determination.

"Doug pitching again isn't our main concern," said Towers, who signed Brocail as a free agent on Dec. 15 with the idea of the big right-hander being the seventh-inning man out of the bullpen.

"The biggest thing here is that the medical staff saved Doug's life. The key thing is that we caught this early or we could have been dealing with a disaster.

"If he pitches again, it will be a bonus."

Brocail has appeared in 442 major-league games with the Padres, Houston, Detroit and the Rangers.

He and his wife, Lisa, have five daughters, ranging in age from 5 to 16.

His last appearance on the mound was also the date of his daughter Taylor's 16th birthday.

"There is no question Doug was a time bomb," said Padres manager Bruce Bochy. "More than anything, I'm glad we found this before anything serious happened on the field."

Brocail had appeared in three games this spring, including an inning against the Mariners in a charity game on March 2, and has given up one run.

Bochy said Brocail was throwing over 90 mph in his last outing.

"And he has been throwing well all spring," the manager said. "What he needs now is time to get healthy. We'll rely on the medical staff to monitor him.

"We have no timetable on a return. But Doug has that mentality that he will be back pitching. He's a tough guy, a big, strong man.

"He has a sense of determination. If anybody can get back on that mound, it will be Doug Brocail."

Bochy's father died of a heart attack at age 65. And one of Bochy's closest friends, former Braves pitcher Rick Mahler, died recently at age 50 of a massive coronary.

"When I heard about Doug, I immediately thought of Rick and my father," Bochy said. "No question, heart attacks are the silent killer."

Contact staff writer John Maffei at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.