Sunburn victim 'died for 25 minutes' in hospital

A university student "died for 25 minutes" in a US hospital after suffering "extreme sunburn" during a summer camp.

Charlie Vincent, from Northamptonshire, suffered cardiac arrest during surgery.

He was put into in an induced coma for a week, with doctors fearing he would need heart and kidney transplants.

His family could now face a huge bill for his treatment and getting him back to the UK.

Mr Vincent, from Irthlingborough, flew to New Hampshire in June to teach six-year-old children how to canoe during a summer camp.

On his first day on the water, he was badly sunburnt, resulting in second-degree burns on his legs.

Camp leaders took Mr Vincent, a film student going into his third year at De Montfort University in Leicester, to hospital, where it was discovered he also had pneumonia.

During surgery for a respiratory infection, Mr Vincent suffered cardiac arrest and a mini-stroke.

His family said his heart stopped for 25 minutes.

Mr Vincent’s sister, Emily, said doctors discovered he had an enlarged heart, also known as cardiomegaly, which means the heart has to work harder than normal.

He spent about a week in an induced coma, with doctors fearing he would require an urgent organ transplant for his heart and both kidneys, but after a “miracle” recovery this may no longer be required – although he may still need a heart transplant at a “much later date”.

Mr Vincent and his parents were scheduled to fly back to the UK on Thursday on a medical flight to continue his recovery closer to home at Northampton General Hospital.

Now they are waiting to hear if his insurance, which provides cover up to $500,000 (about £390,000), will meet the cost of his US medical bill.

"It’s definitely a miracle that he’s still here," said Ms Vincent.

"I think the hospital he has been in has given him the most amazing care, and without that I don’t think he would have made it."

She said the family had asked how much the final bill would be but the hospital had not yet given a figure.

The family have set up an online fundraising page to help with the cost of Mr Vincent’s treatment and travel costs for his parents. It had raised more than £13,000 by the start of August.

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