Forbes Carlile Hospitalized

By Phillip Whitten

Sydney, Australia – Famed Australian swim coach and drug crusader Forbes Carlile is lying comfortably in Concord Hospital in Sydney after learning of a two-grade auricular-ventricular heart blockage that could be life-threatening. He is expected to undergo heart bypass surgery sometime within the next two to seven days.

Carlile had entered the hospital on Monday for a gall bladder removal and expected to be released on Wednesday. But a staff cardiologist, detecting signs of heart diseease, ordered an angiogram before the gall bladder operation was attempted. The test confirmed a 60% percentage blockage of his left main artery, which feeds the two primary coronary arteries.

According to Carlile, “the heart specialist here at Concord Hospital to whom I am most grateful told me that if I had not been so fit I could have died in my 50s and that if they had operated (on the gall bladder) this Monday there was only a 70% chance I would have survived! A frightening thought for me with so much yet to do. I was lucky I had a thorough cardiology consultant here. The surgeons were ready to go ahead with the gall bladder/stones operation!”

Shortly after entering the hospital, Carlile suffered a heart attack, which, he says, was immediately attended to.

After the bypass, Carlile expects the recovery period to last some six weeks–or, as he put it, “six bloody weeks” before he is back on deck. He promises to work only in “short bursts at [his] desk and to exercise gently.”

After recuperating from the bypass surgery, Carlile still faces surgery for his gall bladder.

Get well wishes can be sent to Carlile in care of Phil Whitten at philw@swiminfo.com or in care of
Swimming World Magazine
90 Bell Rock Plaza, Suite 200
Sedona, AZ 86351

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use