Dr. Cakulev is one of the most compassionate Drs. Ive encountered. My ablation was somewhat challenging. He took the time before and after the procedure to explain everything and make sure I was okay. Brilliant man!

Dr. Cakulev is taking care of my 86 year old father who has afib and other heart conditions. We are extremely happy with the level of professionalism, skill, and compassion that Dr. C has provided.My father signed a release allowing the doctor to discuss his condition with me. I have called twice to speak to the doctor. He returned my calls one evening at 8:30 PM and on the other occasion he called on Sunday morning. These doctors work very hard and long hours and deal with constantly stressful situations.I truly believe that Dr. C cares about my dad and is applying all of his skill and experience to try and make him better.

When a family member is sent to you after being diagnosed with left- sided heart dysfunction, it is obviously a very scary time. She has been unable to tolerate physical exertion for years. Dizzy spells. Chest pain. Swelling in her legs. After several medical professionals were unable to diagnose what was going on (she was either told she was fat or too young to have heart problems), she was referred to a pulmonary specialist to determine if she was suffering from pulmonary hypertension. She spent months fearing this diagnosis, as the 5 year survival rate is not great. When she consulted with the pulmonologist, he did a series of tests and ruled out pulmonary hypertension. However, he did identify some significant dysfunction in her heart and referred her to your practice. For the first time in years, she was taken seriously by a doctor and she felt hopeful that she was going to get clarity and get HELP. You met her in your office on a Saturday. Didnt once listen to her heart. Didnt once talk about test results. Instead you spent the majority of your time telling my sister that she is overweight, has a sweet tooth, and cant say no to food. Wow. You are the FOURTH medical professional that has blown her off and chalked her medical complications up to being overweight. She is not stupid. She knows that being overweight certainly has its ramifications on her health. But when she cannot breathe or tolerate walking short distances, it is extremely difficult to get the exercise necessary to lose weight. And im not trying to make excuses for her, but If you truly felt that her weight was really the ONLY underlying medical condition, why not at least LISTEN to her heart? Why not talk to her like a human being about her test results and help her understand why you dont think the heart is an issue? Or why not go one step further and refer her to a dietitian or give her some resources to reference? You took the easy way out. You took one look at her and stereotyped her as someone who has a weight problem and not a cardiac problem. Since her visit with you, she is broken. She feels worthless. She feels like no one is ever going to take her seriously enough to actually look past her weight and treat her like a human being who needs help. Maybe you had an off day. Maybe you were upset that you had to meet her on a weekend. But to not even listen to her heart or discuss test results when shes been sent to you for answers? Thats poor practice. I certainly hope at the end of the day you go home and remember why you chose to get into the medical practice to begin with. Hopefully it was to help people and to show compassion. Sounds like you could use a reminder.