Dad-of-two fights for all times after going to dentist for alternative filling
James Molloy, 52, from Cheltenham underwent emergency 18-hour heart surgery after family suspect bacterial infection from routine dental procedure attacked his replacement heart valve
James Molloy, 52, from Cheltenham underwent emergency 18-hour heart surgery
A father-of-two has undergone life-saving heart surgery after a suspected complication from dental treatment. James Molloy, 52, suffered a Type A aortic dissection – a tear in an artery near the heart – in June 2025, with his family told he was lucky to be alive.
Mr Molloy, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, began a lengthy recovery process and whilst still recuperating had a routine dental procedure to replace a filling in November last year.
But this January, he became critically unwell and was rushed to a specialist cardiac unit. His family believe that a common skin bacteria – staphylococcus aureus – entered his bloodstream and attacked his replacement heart valve.
Mr Molloy underwent a gruelling 18-hour operation with five surgeons battling to save his heart. Mr Molloy has miraculously survived, although the permanent damage he has sustained remains uncertain.
Mr Molloy’s brother, William, said: “James was told how to make his life better after an aortic dissection which was exercise, lower your blood pressure and don’t be stressed.”, reports the Liverpool Echo.
“No one had said to us that dental work is the easiest way to get an infection in your heart. In the November, he’d had sore gums and teeth so he had a replacement filling.
“We found out later that cardiology suggest certain heart patients should have preventative antibiotics after treatment while dentists say there’s not enough evidence to support the risk.”
In June 2025, Mr Molloy was at home when he began feeling extremely unwell and decided to make his way to A&E.
The father of Jasmine, 17, and Edward, 15, had been grappling with high blood pressure, with family members noting he’d been under significant stress during this period.
Mr Molloy, who works in recruitment, was swiftly taken to the Bristol Heart Institute where doctors diagnosed him with a Type A aortic dissection – a condition with an 80 per cent mortality rate.
He underwent eight hours of open heart surgery, followed by seven months of adapting to new medications whilst trying to control his blood pressure.
Family members of Mr Molloy suspect a replacement filling in November triggered Staphylococcus aureus – more commonly known as a Staph infection.
The bacteria responsible for staph infections typically live harmlessly on people’s skin but can cause infections.
On January 11, Mr Molloy experienced a high fever, irregular heartbeat and was soaked in sweat while visiting his mother in Knutsford, near Manchester.
An ambulance rushed him to Macclesfield Hospital where medical professionals determined he needed emergency life-saving surgery at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.
Mr Molloy’s brother William revealed: “He was told there was a high chance he wasn’t going to survive the procedure – but if he didn’t have it done then he would die.
“They moved the surgery up because his heart was in such a state. James had five surgeons working on him.
“They said they’d never done so much to a person in one go.
“The surgery started at 8am and at 2am, the surgeon came out and said: ‘If James manages to live for the next hour then he would have something to smile about’.
“There was nothing more they could do – it was all up to him.”
During the marathon operation on January 11, Mr Molloy underwent an extraordinary array of procedures including three heart valve replacements, cardiac patches, an aortic stem transplant, multiple aortic repairs, and the fitting of a pacemaker.
He continues to be kept in a medically induced coma as his body battles through the recovery process.
Earlier this week, medical staff tried to remove his breathing apparatus, but his left lung collapsed, forcing them to restore ventilator assistance.
Mr Molloy is also undergoing kidney dialysis following the operation, with doctors now working to ‘restart’ his kidney function.
His family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to cover Mr Molloy’s mortgage repayments and help with his financial commitments whilst he recovers.
His brother William explained: “The mortgage company say there isn’t much more they can do as he already had the three month mortgage holiday in June after his first operation.
“He’s self-employed so he’s not entitled to any government help and it’s very, very unlikely he’ll be back to work this year.
“Once he regains consciousness, we would love to be able to tell him: ‘Don’t worry, everything has been sorted with the help of your family, friends and strangers’.”
Mr Molloy’s long-term partner, Hannah Sampson, added: “If we’d known this could have happened, we would have pushed for antibiotics.
“When we had the conversation about how his life should be after the first operation, it was always about being on warfarin and not cutting yourself in case you bleed to death. We never thought we’d be in this situation and the impact on all of us has been massive.
“He’s got two children, Jasmine and Edward, to think about. It’s really important to try and get him into a place where he doesn’t have to worry and stress about money.”
Mr Molloy’s GoFundMe page has so far raised over £18,000.
