Ross Gittins survives critical surgery after severe heart infection from teeth

Ross Gittins spent 44 days in the ICU after an infection from his teeth spread to his heart, requiring a complex eight-hour surgery. Surgeons used an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine during the operation, which has a 30 percent failure rate. Gittins' near-death experience highlights the high costs and serious risks associated with advanced medical procedures.

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