Josh Potts at home recuperating after his recent surgery where he was fitted with a state of the art defibrillator.
Josh Potts has had a life changing experience over the last couple of months, culminating in an ACT first procedure. The 19 year old Harden man suffered a cardiac arrest on the 21st of June at his home. He was unresponsive for 18 minutes before being transported by ambulance to Young hospital. He was transported by aircraft to Canberra and sent to the Canberra Hospital, where he remained in a coma for 6 days. He was in the critical care unit for a further four weeks, before spending a fortnight in the National Capital Private Hospital, where he underwent the first surgery of its kind to be performed in the ACT.
Josh has relatives who have had defibrillators and pace makers installed, however he had no previous issues with his heart. Josh said he was “pretty nervous” before undergoing the life changing surgery. The new device was implanted under the skin on the left hand side of his body, which monitors his heart and has the ability to send an electric shock to the the heart if it detects any anomalies.
The battery will last for several years before needing replacing. The surgery was less invasive than traditional methods. “They have done 50 operations in Australia and I was the 51st,” said Josh. Josh was informed by his doctor that he was a suitable candidate for the operation because due to his young age. The doctors believe that his heart issues may be hereditary. During his stay in hospital, Josh contracted a lung infection, however this helped him as a possible candidate due to rapid speed needed to bring him back to health.
When asked how the recent events may impact Josh’s life he said “There are a few things I can’t do, such as deep sea diving and sky diving. These are two things I won’t be rushing into anytime soon anway.” Josh will continue to recover for 4 to 6 weeks at home and isn’t allowed to do any lifting for the next few weeks. “The implant isn’t painful, but you can feel it under the skin,” he said. Josh is hoping to return to work with his his father Brett in the near future or get back behind the wheel in the earthmoving industry.
In the interim, he will be watching plenty of daytime television while he recovers. He hopes that he will be able to get back and play some sport soon, but said he has plenty of people to thank for getting him where he is now. “I would like to thank all of the ambulance and hospital staff as well as the Doctors who looked after me and operated on me. Mum and Dad and my family have all been great. I am lucky to have them all.”
