12:00a.m. 24th August 2008

Olympic golden girl Lisa Curry-Kenny has been admitted to hospital with a serious infection in the defibrillator she had installed in her chest less than six months ago.

The former Sunshine Coast swimming champion was admitted to hospital yesterday morning and is expected to spend up to 10 days recovering.

Details were still sketchy last night but it is believed Lisa was on an antiobotic drip to fight the infection.

Her husband, fellow Olympian Grant Kenny, refused to comment.

“You know we don’t talk about things to do with Lisa,” he said.

“I have no comment.”

The triple Olympian and mother of three underwent emergency heart surgery in Brisbane in April after suffering from an irregular and erratic heartbeat.

The condition, known as myocarditis, could have resulted in a heart attack if left unchecked.

At the time, husband Grant told the Daily the 90-minute operation implanted a cardioverter-defibrillator which could identify and correct a dangerous, rapid heart rhythm by applying a shock to the heart.

It is that piece of technology which is believed to now be infected, resulting in her hospitalisation.

Sunshine Coast medical association spokesman Wayne Herdy said the condition was neither common nor rare, but it was not life-threatening.

“But you would prefer for it not to happen,” Dr Herdy said.

It was not quite the body’s rejection of the defibrillator, he said.

“But it’s a means for a body to cleanse itself of something foreign to it.”

Dr Herdy said the most generally adverse effect was the defibrillator may have to be replaced.

“Surgery at the same site (on the body) can become a little more difficult each time,” he said.