‘My baby's 25 heart attacks in 24 hours’

A nine-month old baby stunned doctors after he survived 25 heart attacks in a single day in the UK.

It is believed to be the most ever suffered in 24 hours by one person in the country, reports Daily Mail Online.

Theo Fry, now 19 months old, has had 30 cardiac arrests in total and has also been through 17 operations - all before his first birthday.

He was originally rushed to Alder Hey hospital in Liverpool after suffering from blood poisoning with his mother saying that 'everyone expected him to die'.

The baby was eventually diagnosed with an interrupted aortic arch, which meant his heart, which also had two holes in it, couldn't pump blood around his body.

After seeming to recover following his first operation, Theo returned to hospital where he suffered the repeated heart attacks in January 2017.

Brave Theo has fought back to health, however, to the astonishment of doctors.

His terrible ordeal started at just eight days of age in May 2017, with his parents saying that the symptoms came on suddenly.

Mother Fauve Syers, 30, explained how Theo was suddenly sleepy and alarmingly turned blue and grey.

After ringing an NHS helpline, Theo was taken to Salford Royal Hospital but a team of 40 doctors were left baffled by his condition.

Fauve and Theo's father Steven Fry, 35, were told that their son was in critical condition, although medics didn't know what was wrong with him.

Eventually, they were told that Theo had heart failure and needed an operation - or he would die.

Fave said she went into shock and Theo was then rushed to Alder Hey where, four days later, he had his first open heart surgery.

Speaking to the Mirror, Steven added: 'We were told if we hadn't called 111 that night, Theo wouldn't have woken up next morning.'

As he was operated on, he suffered a heart attack and then suffered another one as he spent three months in Alder Hey.

Theo even contracted sepsis but the baby was able to – yet he battled through and was sent home in July 2017.

However, there was worse to come as he went back in to hospital a few months later with a dangerously high heart rate.

On December 21, he had another cardiac arrest and his heart stopped beaten for 12 minutes.

Over Christmas and January, he suffered two more heart attacks before the night of January 31 where he suffered 25 cardiac arrests in 24 hours.

His mother said: ‘My baby's 25 heart attacks in 24 hours’

'It was horrific. He was having attack after attack. I knew he couldn't take much more. Every time it happened, nurses would buzz for the arrest team. He had the most buzzers pressed overnight in intensive care anyone can remember.

'I watched the resus team working on him with every chest compression, thinking, ''Oh my god, please don't let this be his last breath''.'

The constant attacks prompted Theo's surgeon Dr Ramana Dhannapuneni to operate.

The doctor admitted Theo may not survive but also said that the baby would die if the procedure didn't take place.

Thankfully, Dr Ramana discovered the issue and saw that Theo's left ventricle was covered in scar tissue, which stopped it working.

He was able to open it up and Theo immediately made a recovery, leaving the ICU just two days later.

One year on, Theo is all smiles with his cheeky, happy grin a regular sight.

His mother added: 'Everyone who sees him says how happy he is,' says Fauve. 'It's incredible what he's been through. He's so strong.'

The surgeon who saved Theo described his recovery as being incredible.

Dr Ramana Dhannapuneni said: 'Theo suffered the most arrests in 24 hours I have heard of – it is very rare and unusual. We had to operate immediately, as he wouldn't have survived much longer.

'It was very risky. It could have gone either way. But he pulled through and his recovery was amazing. The difference in him is incredible.'

MHK