Heart surgeon shares how 36-year-old woman on life support for a failing heart made full recovery

Dr London recalls his most memorable patient story - a case that proved miracles can unfold even in the bleakest moments.

Every once in a while, medicine delivers a story that reminds us why doctors keep fighting even when the odds are bleak. Dr Jeremy London, a cardiothoracic surgeon with over 25 years of experience, recently shared one such story on Instagram: the case of a young woman whose failing heart left her on life support, but who returned one year later with a newborn in her arms.

After more than two decades in cardiac surgery, Dr London has surely seen his share of high-risk emergencies - but this account remains his most memorable one yet. In an Instagram video posted on 20 November, the heart surgeon recalls how the woman had to be placed on life support and how bleak the situation initially seemed - yet, against all odds, she went on to make a full and extraordinary recovery.

When a woman’s heart stopped working…

Dr London recounts one of his most unforgettable patient experiences - a case involving a 36-year-old woman who was rushed into the emergency room after her heart suddenly stopped working, despite repeated CPR attempts and the placement of a breathing tube. He narrates, “We cannot get her heart to come out of an abnormal heart rhythm despite all of the normal therapies. We ended up putting her on ECMO to support her blood pressure and her lungs - this is an external heart-lung machine.”

ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, is a life-support treatment that acts as a temporary heart and lung machine for people with life-threatening heart or lung failure, according to Mayo Clinic. It works by pumping blood outside the body to a machine that removes carbon dioxide and adds oxygen before returning the blood to the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest and heal.

The ECMO support helped stabilised things temporarily. Dr London continues, “It turned out she had viral pericarditis, an infection of the heart muscle itself. She remained on ECMO for over a month and during that period of time, things looked really grim. The nurses felt like we should withdraw care. Other physicians felt like they should withdraw care. But myself and two other physicians decided that this was a young woman and that she deserved a chance.”

A happy ending

The cardiac surgeon shares that after six weeks, the woman gradually recovered and was eventually able to go home. He goes on, “She finally got better and weaned from the ECMO and actually was discharged in about two and half months from the hospital, doing great.”

But here’s the remarkable silver lining - she not only survived and made a full recovery, but went on to give birth the following year. “A year later, she comes back to the intensive care unit with a brand new baby girl. It was absolutely unbelievable,” says Dr London. He goes on to emphasise the importance of keeping faith and never giving up when a patient still has a fighting chance.

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