Young Aussie doctor speaks out after being diagnosed with life-threatening condition: ‘I was clinically dead’
A young Australian doctor and father of three is grateful to be alive after a life-threatening condition left him unable to walk.
Paediatrician Dr Bradley MacDonald, 37, was admitted to hospital in Western Australia in 2020 with flu-like symptoms, low blood pressure and heart problems.
He was diagnosed with sepsis, a dangerous condition in which the immune system attacks tissues and organs, sometimes with fatal consequences.
The then 32-year-old spent three months in hospital, including more than a month in intensive care, five weeks in rehabilitation and two weeks in the ward.
“I was clinically dead. There’s a nice existential high that comes after a period of near death,” he said news.com.au.
‘There were some changes in my heart rate monitoring that caused [doctors] “I think the heart is the cause of my low blood pressure,” he said.
Dr. MacDonald still doesn’t know how he developed this serious condition, which left him in a coma and suffering from multiple muscle infections.
He required multiple surgeries to remove the infection and drain the pus from his body, after which he was intubated and treated with antibiotics.
Western Australian pediatrician Dr. Bradley MacDonald (pictured) was admitted to hospital with sepsis in 2020
The young doctor spent three months in hospital and underwent six weeks of rehabilitation after being diagnosed with sepsis – a dangerous condition with sometimes fatal consequences
His youngest daughter was only six weeks old when he was first admitted.
Dr MacDonald said he was fortunate to avoid most of the pain because he was intubated and “very confused”.
He has lost 50 pounds and still suffers from scars from muscle resections, where part of the muscle is removed to shorten it and make it stronger.
After six weeks of grueling rehabilitation, he had enough strength to walk again.
Four years later, the doctor said the experience had given him a new perspective on life and shown him how quickly things can change.
“Even though 2020 was the year of Covid and there was fear in the world, I was still so grateful to be with my family,” MacDonald said.
The World Health Organisation According to the WHO website, sepsis is one of the most common causes of death worldwide.
Dr Bradley MacDonald receives his Business Events Perth/AMA (WA) Aspire Award 2022
According to Queensland Heath, an estimated 18,000 Australian adults are treated in intensive care for sepsis each year, of whom almost 5,000 will die.
“That is more than twice the number of traffic deaths.”
Older adults, infants, pregnant women, and people with underlying health conditions are at greatest risk of developing sepsis.
WHO estimates that almost half of all recorded cases of sepsis worldwide occur in children under five years of age.