TX Infant Recovering After Flu Leads To Cardiac Arrest, Brain Damage

A North Texas infant is on the road to recovery after a severe case of the flu led to cardiac arrest and brain damage, his parents say.

Nine-month-old Avery Ash tested positive for both Influenza A and Parainfluenza, which triggered croup, an infection that obstructs breathing. The dangerous combination nearly took his life.

The child's symptoms started with congestion and a runny nose before worsening in the early hours of Feb. 1, when his breathing became increasingly labored.

"It went from zero to 100 in a hurry," Scott Ash, Avery's father, told WFAA.

So they spoke to their family pediatrician.

"She told us if his breathing retracted, then we should probably take him into the ER. So that's what we did," Courtney Ash said.

Avery was treated at a Plano hospital and sent home, but 90 minutes later, his condition worsened, and his parents took him back. His hospital ID tag was still on him. His airway swelled, and during intubation, he went into cardiac arrest.

"Fifteen minutes after that, they were able to resuscitate him, and we were transported here to Children's Dallas, the PICU, and that was on Monday of last week," Courtney said.

Avery suffered brain damage during the incident, due to lack of oxygen.

He has since shown improvement, and is beginning to breathe on his own after being taken off oxygen on Tuesday. His parents were able to hold him for the first time in a week.

A GoFundMe campaign to help cover medical expenses has so far raised more than $50,000.

"Once we are released from the 12th floor, we will be transferred down to another unit- most likely the neurology floor," Courtney wrote on the page.

"That is where we will start our long journey of PT, OT and Speech Therapy. Will update when we know more information. Right now, like we’ve continued to say, hour by hour and day by day. Each day is a bonus as tomorrow is never guaranteed. THANK YOU AGAIN! To each and everyone one of you for holding space for our family during this time."

Influenza rates are "very high" in Texas as a second wave of seasonal flu is putting pressure on doctors’ offices and urgent care clinics nationwide, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Flu cases were “high” or “very high” in 45 states and jurisdictions for the week ended Feb. 1 and are continuing to increase, the agency said. Nearly a third of the tests for flu were positive during the reporting period.