The sufferer of a rare heart condition is calling for answers after discovering a device fitted to save his life has been recalled due to a potentially fatal fault.

Dario DaSilva, 24, has LQT2 syndrome - the same condition that struck down former Premiership footballer Fabrice Muamba while on the pitch in March.

The pair recently met to discuss their experiences with the illness while the footballer was in town, and the electronic device - known as an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) - with which they have both been fitted.

Dario - pictured left - underwent surgery at King's College Hospital, London, in 2007 to have his ICD fitted.

The device – called an Atlas II – helps regulate his heartbeat, which his condition can cause to stop abruptly, leading to a heart attack.

The Atlas II was recalled by its US manufacturer, St Jude Medical, in 2010 due to a design flaw with its internal wiring.

Despite the recall, Dario says no one from the NHS contacted him to warn him of the potentially painful fault and the first he was to learn of the malfunction was when it caused him to receive three painful shocks to his heart.

Dario, of Park Farm, Ashford, said: "It feels like you've been kicked in the head by a horse or struck by a bolt of lightning.

"After being rushed to the to the William Harvey to find out what was wrong, an X-ray showed that the wires had come loose.

"Staff at the Harvey told me they have seen a lot of patients referred to have replacement implants fitted.

"My first reaction was anger. I went through a lot of pain and I felt very cross that no one from the NHS had notified me, even though staff seemed to be more than aware of the problem.

"It was like there was a bomb inside me that was about to go off, and I had no way of getting away from it.

"It was pretty scary, to be honest."

Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch in March with a heart defect

Dario faced an agonising decision on whether or not to risk further shocks from the device, or have it switched off and leave himself vulnerable to his condition.

He decided to instruct NHS staff to turn the device off and is now awaiting surgery to remove and replace the faulty ICD.

He added: "I'm quite scared. Obviously what I have been through already has put a fear into me over my next operation.

"I know I have to have a new ICD. It's to keep me alive, so it’s a necessary evil – but I don’t feel that I have been reassured.

"Maybe if they had told me about the problem, none of this would have happened. I've lost faith in the NHS and I am worried that it might happen again."