A BBC documentary that aired last night (Wednesday 5 August) shows the moment medics stop a man's heart in a bid to cure him of palpitations caused by coronavirus. You can watch the clip below:
TV doctor Alexander van Tulleken - aka Dr Xand - was accompanied by his identical twin and on-screen partner Chris, who was visibly shaken when watching his brother undergo the procedure.
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Prior to filming for Surviving the Virus: My Brother And Me, the 41-year-old brothers had returned to the front line during the pandemic.
Xand volunteered at a care home, only to then come down with Covid-19 symptoms, including a fever, cough and temporary loss of smell.
After isolating for two weeks at home, the main symptoms had subsided, but he was left with shortness of breath and heart palpitations which got worse as time went on.
In April, the doctor travelled to University College Hospital in London where his brother Chris was working on a Covid-19 ward.
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While filming the documentary, they were told that Xand's heartbeat was beating at nearly three times the normal resting rate - and the only way for him to recover would be to restart his heart with a strong electric current. This meant flatlining for a quick but painful moment.
The clip shows the moment doctors prepare their patient as Chris looks on in concern, struggling to hold back tears. As medics surge the electrical current, Xand shouts out in pain.
Chris holds his brother's leg while keeping his eyes firmly glued on the monitor, which shows Xand flatlining. After a few tense moments, his heartbeat resumes and a medic announces it has returned to its 'normal rhythm'.
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Many viewers were touched by the scene, flocking to Twitter to express praise for the heroic duo.
"So incredible of @DoctorChrisVT and @xandvt to share their story. Terrifying to watch Chris watch his twin flatline and wait for his heart to restart #SurvivingTheVirus," commented one viewer.
"@xandvt just watching the very powerful #survivingthevirus & very emotional watching you having your heart restarted," wrote another.
A third said: "Get well soon @xandvt. Drained, traumatised NHS staff living this daily. Mandatory viewing to avoid 2nd wave."
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Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there - Chris told The Daily Mail that his twin has suffered another bout of heart palpitations since the documentary stopped filming.
Xand had to undergo the procedure again, only to then be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation - a condition that causes an irregular, often rapid heart rate and commonly affects people over 60.
He's currently taking medication to steady his heartbeat and will potentially need heart surgery in the future. Here's hoping it doesn't come to that - we wish Xand a speedy recovery.
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Surviving the Virus: My Brother & Me is on BBC iPlayer.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: UK News, TV and Film, Coronavirus, Health