A dad-of-two has been left fighting for his life after a suspected complication from a filling replacement.
James Molloy, 52, underwent life-saving heart surgery after a type A aortic dissection – a tear in an artery near the heart – in June 2025.
Mr Molloy’s family were told he was lucky to be alive after the shock diagnosis.
The dad, from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, began a long and difficult recovery and in November reportedly had routine dental work to replace a filling.
But in January of this year, he fell seriously ill and was rushed to a special cardiology hospital.
His family claims a common skin bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, entered his blood and attacked his new heart valve.
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The father had to undergo a grueling 18-hour operation, with five doctors fighting to save his life and heart.
Mr Molloy miraculously survived, but doctors do not yet know the true extent of the damage.
His brother William said: “James said how to make life better after an aortic dissection – exercise, lower your blood pressure and don’t stress.
“Nobody had told us that dental work is the easiest way to get an infection in your heart.
“In November, he had pain in his gums and teeth, so he had a replacement filling.
“We later found out that cardiology suggests that some heart patients should take prophylactic antibiotics after treatment, while dentists say there’s not enough evidence to support the risk.”
Mr Molloy was at home last June when he suddenly started feeling extremely unwell and decided to rush to A&E.
The father of Jasmine, 17, and Edward, 15, suffered from high blood pressure and his family said he was stressed at the time.
The recruiter was taken to Bristol Heart Institute, where he was diagnosed with a type A aortic dissection – a condition with an 80% risk of mortality.
After eight hours of open-heart surgery, Molloy underwent seven months of trials of various drugs and methods to keep his blood pressure under control.
His family claimed the replacement filling in November led to Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as a staph infection.
The bacteria that cause staph infections live harmlessly on the skin of many people, but they can cause serious infections.
On January 11, Mr Molloy developed a high fever, irregular heartbeat and was sweating while visiting his mum in Knutsford, near Manchester.
He was taken by ambulance to Macclesfield Hospital, where doctors decided he needed emergency, life-saving surgery at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.
His brother Mr Molloy said: “They told him there was a good chance he wouldn’t survive the procedure – but if he didn’t then he would die.
“They moved the surgery because his heart was in such a state. James had five surgeons working on him.
“They said they had never done so much to one person in one go.
“The surgery started at 8 in the morning and at 2 in the morning the surgeon came out and said, ‘If James can live for the next time then he would have something to smile about”.
“There was nothing more they could do – it was all up to him.”
During the operation, Mr Molloy received three new heart valves, heart pads, a grafted aortic stem, multiple aortic pads and a pacemaker.
He is now in an induced coma as his body struggles to recover.
This week, doctors tried to remove his breathing tube, but his left lung collapsed and he had to be put back on life support.
Mr Molloy is also on dialysis for his kidneys after the operation which doctors are now trying to ‘jump start’.
His family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the cost of Mr Molloy’s mortgage and help cover his finances while he recovers.
His brother William added: “The mortgage company says there’s not much more they can do as he was already on three months’ mortgage leave in June after his first operation.
“He is self-employed so is not entitled to any government assistance and is very, very unlikely to return to work this year.
“Once he regains consciousness, we would like to be able to say to him, ‘Don’t worry, everything is sorted out with the help of your family, friends and strangers.’
Mr Molloy’s partner of five years, Hannah Sampson, added: ‘If we had known this could have happened we would have pushed for antibiotics.
“When we talked about what his life should be like after the first operation, it was always to be on warfarin and not cut in case you bleed to death.
“We never thought we would be in this situation and the impact on all of us has been huge.
“She has two children, Jasmine and Edward, to think about.
“It’s very important that we try to get him to a place where he doesn’t have to worry and stress about money.”
