For Alexandra, the birth of her identical twin daughters, should have been a moment of pure joy. But just hours after delivering them via C-section, she suffered a rare post-birth reaction that left her heart struggling to pump. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU)—critically ill and in urgent need of life-saving intervention.
“They called my husband and said, ‘You need to come right now—this is life-threatening,’” Alexandra recalls.
With every second counting, RMH’s ICU and cardiology teams worked seamlessly, diagnosing Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a condition that had caused her heart to stop pumping effectively. Medications weren’t enough—her organs were shutting down. Doctors placed Alexandra on ECMO, an advanced life-support machine that took over her heart and lung function, giving her body time to recover.
Miraculously, within 48 hours, Alexandra stabilised. “What was particularly special was that her newborn twins could be with her, even while on ECMO,” said ICU Deputy Director Dr James Anstey.
Alexandra reflects, “I am so grateful—all the time. The RMH gave me the highest level of care you could hope for.”
Her survival is a testament to the RMH’s expert, team-based care, where leading specialists and advanced technology come together to save lives.
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