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Baby 'frozen' to mend hole in heart

Four-month-old Finley Burton miraculously survived surgery, which involved him being ‘frozen’ to mend a huge hole in his heart.

The little boy’s body temperature was lowered to just 33.4C as his heart was beating extremely fast and doctors needed him to regain a normal pulse.

Mum Donna Link-Emery explained the procedure that took place at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle Upon Tyne: ‘They put him in a little bag which allowed air to flow around his body and he was kept like that for four days.

She added: ‘It was very frightening, we thought we were going to lose him. It was all so sudden and upsetting.’

However, the four day freezing process that tiny Finley went through was thankfully a success, and his heart did gradually start to maintain a normal rhythm again.

The hole was detected after his mum and her partner Aaron Burton, 31, noticed Finley’s difficulty in breathing at just 10 weeks.

Following a 12 day stay in hospital, Finley is now back home, and recovering well in the warmth!

The little baby in the pictures is Finley.

By Emily Church

We wish Finley and his parents the best of luck!