DAVIE -- A Davie man with a chronic heart problem has died of swine flu, becoming the first in Broward County and the third in Florida to succumb to the newly emerged H1N1 virus, medical officials said Tuesday.

Michael Waldfogel, 58, had gone to his doctor in mid-June complaining of typical flu symptoms and was sent home with flu medicine as is the normal procedure in such cases, said Dr. Joshua Perper, Broward's medical examiner.

Waldfogel was last seen on June 20 and was found dead in his home four days later, Perper said.

The medical examiner's office reviewed his death because of the unusual nature of the possible swine flu connection, and a state lab in Jacksonville confirmed Tuesday that the man had been infected, Perper said.

A woman who identified herself as Waldfogel's sister answered the phone at his home Wednesday afternoon and said the family would have no comment.

His death follows a common pattern seen across the country in swine flu cases, in which people with immune systems weakened by chronic lung, heart and other diseases are more susceptible to H1N1 flu infections and to serious complications, federal health officials say.

''Obviously it's an unfortunate death where there's a combination of two things going on at once,'' Perper said. ``People with heart or lung conditions who have flu conditions tend to be more susceptible.''

Broward has had 129 cases of H1N1 since the virus emerged in the United States in April, said Candy Sims, a spokeswoman for the Broward County Health Department.

Florida has had 941 cases and two other deaths, one in Miami and one in the Orlando area, but the outbreak in the Sunshine State is considered mild and localized, compared to other states with thousands of infections and more widespread illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The nation tallied about 28,000 cases and 127 deaths as of the latest count last week.

Health officials again offered the standard advice for preventing the flu:

Avoid sick people, stay home if you are sick and cover coughs and sneezes to prevent the virus from spreading to others via the air.

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