Ten-year old Crystal Gallone doesn’t know what hit her.

What should have been a case of the common flu turned into a battle for life.

Crystal was admitted to the RCH when her flu symptoms appeared unusually severe.  As the flu attacked her body, her organs began shutting down and she was sent to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.  There, she suffered a cardiac arrest.

Cardiac surgeon Igor Konstantinov immediately opened Crystal’s chest to expose her heart and place it on a special heart-lung machine, known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), to provide circulatory support.  Luckily for Crystal, this surgery saved her life.

After four weeks in hospital, Crystal is now back home working towards a full recovery.  She continues to visit the RCH for physiotherapy appointments and cardiology check-ups.

Dr Konstantinov says it is rare for the common flu to lead to cardiac arrest, with only around three patients presenting to the RCH from around Australia with this complication.

He says Crystal is incredibly lucky to be alive.