GIRL’S HEART STOPS FOUR TIMES IN 45 MINUTES

A child survived her heart stopping four times in 45 minutes after she suffered a rare reaction to a sore throat - and blew-up ‘like Violet from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’.

Five-year-old Ava Mear ‘swelled like a blueberry’ and was diagnosed with a rare reaction to the sore throat bacteria Strep A.

The reaction caused her heart to fail three times in quick succession as the infection took hold of her body.

Medics warned her parents to say their last goodbyes because they feared she would not survive another resuscitation.

But miraculously she survived a heart stopping for a fourth time in 45 minutes after doctors hooked her up to an artificial lung and heart machine. The machine oxygenated her blood and pumped it round her frail body, bypassing the heart, while dialysis cleansed her blood of toxins.

Ava developed a rash which spread across her body turning her purple and fluids being pumped through her body to clear her of infection made her balloon in size.

Amazingly, Ava pulled through and the rash turned from purple to red before fading completely.

Delighted parents Clive and MaryJane Mear, who also have a ten-yearold-son called Alfie, say after ten weeks in hospital she is now recover- ing well. Mr Mear, 44, said: ‘She was breathing heavily so we took her to the local hospital at about 11pm. We’re so glad we did that.

‘She was rushed straight to Great Ormond Street Hospital and within an hour of her being there had her first heart attack.

‘After her third heart attack a surgeon told us about a risky procedure they could try.

‘I just cut him off’. I said “do it, do it now - I’ll sign whatever forms I need to later”.

Ava suddenly fell ill and on January 27 was repeatedly getting up in the night.

Mr and Mrs Mear rushed her to Luton and Dunstable Hospital, Bedfordshire, after they realised she was heavily breathing and noticed a small rash.

Doctors knew the rash was a bad sign and transferred her to Great Ormond Street Hospital overnight.

There she was diagnosed with a toxic shock reaction to Strep A - a common bacterium which normally causes sore throats.

Ava (pictured recovering in hospital) was saved by medics who put her on an artificial heart and lung machine Ava was rushed to hospital after her parents noticed she was breathing heavily and had developed a rash Ava Mear suffered four heart attacks...