Heart scare baby Arty is flown to Perth

LOCAL country and western singer Kate Hindle has praised local medical services after her seven-week-old son Arty suffered a heart problem.

Ms Hindle said Arty was recently flown to Perth when he suffered an episode of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), which is an irregular heart beat.

His treatment included a two-night stay at Perth Children’s Hospital.

Ms Hindle said Arty became sweaty the night of the episode and she suspected he had a fever.

His bowel movements had also changed, however Ms Hindle attributed that to his six-week vaccinations and possible dehydration.

“Our thermometer wasn’t working so I called my husband and we decided he would come home from work and we’d take Arty to the Collie Hospital to check everything was okay,” she said.

“When we arrived, the nurses did his obs and tested his heart where they found the machine was reaching its limit.

“They got the ECG machine which then showed his heart rate was over 300 beats per minute (bpm).

“Dr Marelene Oelofse came straight in and told us it was SVT.”

UNWELL: Seven-week-old Arty Greenmount was recently flown to Perth Children’s Hospital after multiple episodes of supraventricular tachycardia.

Ms Hindle said she and her husband Justin became very upset.

“Dr Marelene was reassuring and told us it was nothing that we did or that we could’ve prevented - it’s just his little heart getting stuck in a rhythm,” she said.

Dr Marlene and a nurse then placed ice packs on his face to shock his heart back into a regular rhythm.

“It was obviously not nice to watch, but we’re so grateful they knew what to do so effectively,” Ms Hindle said.

The family of three were sent to Bunbury Hospital, where Arty initially presented well.

“He was fine for a few hours until it happened again, and we saw his heart go over 350bpm,” Ms Hindle said.

“The ice packs didn’t work, so they had to give him medication which didn’t work the first time but thankfully worked the second.

“That’s when the paediatrician decided to fly us to PCH.

“We spent two nights in hospital and Justin stayed at Ronald McDonald House. Arty had heart scans to check for damage.

“He is now on regular medication every eight hours to keep his heart rate down so that he won’t have another episode.”

Ms Hindle said the attention from the medical staff at Collie Hospital was excellent.

“We’re so grateful to everyone who helped us - there were so many amazing medical staff from Collie, Bunbury and Perth who made sure both Justin and I were coping okay, as well as making sure Arty had the best medical attention possible.”

Arty now receives medical care from a cardiologist at PCH.

FAMILY: Local country and western singer Kate Hindle (left) with her husband, Justin Greenmount, and their son Arty.