Dolores Catania’s boyfriend, Paul “Paulie” Connell, is on the mend after undergoing a life-saving heart procedure on Thursday.
“Over the past eight years Paul has suffered with an irregular heartbeat assumed to be atrial fibrillation. Recently, it was confirmed with a diagnosis of SVT or supra ventricular tachycardia,” the “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star, 51, exclusively tells Page Six, detailing her Irish beau’s health journey.
“He’s had many trips to the emergency room and consulted with several different cardiologists,” she continues.
“He finally found the right specialist, a cardiac electrophysiologist, Dr. Robert Altman, who identified that he had a syndrome called WPW. Now, what’s this you might ask? It’s Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.”
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a rare congenital defect, according to Mayo Clinic, and has been linked to sudden cardiac deaths in children and adults.
“It is a very dangerous syndrome that causes an extra electrical pathway in the heart,” Catania elaborates. “It causes a rapid heartbeat, and can be life-threatening if left undiagnosed and untreated.”
WPW patients have an extra electrical pathway that connects the upper and lower heart chambers, allowing heart signals to bypass the AV node, per Mayo Clinic. As a result, the heart signals don’t slow down, only becoming more excited as the heart rate gets faster. The extra pathway can cause heart signals to travel backward, causing an uncoordinated heart rhythm.
“So, if you experience palpitations or you feel like there’s something ‘off’ with your heart, please listen to your body and have yourself evaluated!” Catania says.
“After many years of my Paulie living with this, I’ve finally convinced him to take this to the next level. After working with Dr. Altman and having his procedure, his spirits are high and you can see there is a sign of relief.”
In video footage exclusively shared with Page Six, Connell, 48, appears jovial mere moments after Dr. Altman completed the catheter ablation procedure.
“Please get your heart checked out. It only takes a couple of visits and a quick little procedure like today could give you a longer life to spend with this beautiful woman and your family,” he says from the hospital bed, gesturing to Catania.
Connell tells Page Six that his girlfriend — whom he affectionally calls the “best nurse” — is helping him recuperate days later.
“I’m definitely feeling a lot better this week than I was last week,” says the Eco Electrical Services CEO, who is grateful to have found a solution that should improve his quality of life.
“The last eight years of my life have been poorer quality than what they should have been because I stopped doing stuff in fear that it would impact my heart. There was a lot of anxiety,” he tells us. “But Dolores pushed me to get this checked out. She took control and I was basically a passenger. Because of her, I’m really optimistic about the future.”
Connell praises Catania for comforting his sons Cameron, 20, and Brooklyn, 17 — whom he parents from a previous relationship — when breaking the news about their father’s health.
“They were very scared when I told them about this. Dolores and I sat them down and I let Dolores do the talking because I wanted her to soften the message,” he says. “You could see the emotion in their faces, but I think the way she told them, they leveled out and became confident that Dad was going somewhere good and that Dolores was going to be beside me and that it was all going to be OK.”
Connell points out that Catania’s good friend, electrophysiologist Dr. Michael Fradley, referred him to Dr. Altman.
“Honestly, I would have still been in the shadow of what this does to me if I hadn’t had listened to Dolores and she hadn’t have forced this,” he says of the former surgical assistant. “Men seem to think they’re invincible and when I lay on that hospital bed, I was not invincible. I needed her.”
In her chat with us, the Bravolebrity — who began dating Connell last fall, months after she split from now-ex David Principe — further encouraged fans to stay vigilant about their heart health.
“If you, or someone you love, is having this or any of the symptoms, please reach out to a medical professional or cardiologist and make sure that they examine you and perform an EKG and evaluate any medications you may be taking,” she says.
Throughout their experience consulting with Dr. Altman, Catania notes that Connell discovered he wasn’t taking the necessary medication for his condition.
“During this process we also found that the medicine he had been taking was not the correct medicine for what he actually had, which caused him to gain weight and retain water, which can also be very dangerous to your heart along with some other mild symptoms,” she says, noting that Connell is doing “well” on his path to recovery.
Connell has a follow-up appointment with Dr. Altman next month. The trained electrician hopes to eventually get off any medication previously prescribed for atrial fibrillation, which he does not have.
“When I go to see Dr. Altman in four weeks, I’m hopeful that he’s going to tell me that my life is going to go back to normal. And then the upkeep after that is getting an EKG every couple of months,” he says.
Catania is thrilled that her beau is already making “good progress” just days out.
“Still small steps, but his medical team is convinced that they have corrected the issue and it should leave the balance of his life stress-free!” enthuses Catania. “This was something that could’ve been addressed a long time ago, and I am glad he finally listened to me.”
The reality TV personality is also happy that she found Dr. Altman and the medical staff who helped with Connell’s successful procedure.
“I need Paulie, my love, around,” gushes the mom of two, who shares daughter Gabby, 26, and son Frankie, 23, with ex-husband Frank Catania. “Thank you to all who helped at Hackensack Hospital, you were all amazing.”
Connell is expected to appear on Season 13 of “RHONJ,” which is currently in production.