- BBC Health Correspondent Rossby
- （Philippa Roxby）
Image source,Getty Images
In a cardiac arrest, you must perform CPR as soon as possible, and then use a cardiac defibrillator to shock the heart
In an amazing scene in the Euro 2020 match, the Danish player Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest and fell to the ground during a game on the stadium. He was rescued from life threatening and is currently under treatment and observation in the hospital.
Although Eriksson was lucky to be saved, the doctors still don’t know why his heart suddenly stopped. The doctors must find out the real reason to make effective treatment.
Sanjay Sharma, a cardiologist at the Football Association of England, said that 29-year-old Erickson fought for his life and doctors must now find out the cause of his cardiac arrest.
According to the British Heart Foundation, one of the most common causes of cardiac arrest is a fatal and dangerous arrhythmia.
Other possible causes include cardiomyopathy, or cardiomyopathy, which is a collective term for diseases that affect the size, shape, or thickness of the heart muscle. This is hereditary. There is also myocarditis, which is inflammation of the myocardium.
The doctor is now going to perform a very precise scan of Eriksson’s heart to check for minor scars or abnormalities. These problems may not be found in the regular health and heart examinations of professional football players.
All professional football players in the UK from the age of 16 to 25 must undergo a precise cardiac examination every two years. Check carefully for any suspicious abnormalities in the function and structure of the heart.
However, no matter how sophisticated the examination is, no matter how skilled a doctor is, it cannot be 100% guaranteed that a heart examination will definitely find potential problems.
Cardiac arrest
Sharma said that some cardiac abnormalities do not appear in adolescence or between the ages of 16 and 25. “You may wait until your 20s or 30s before you start to experience heart abnormalities.”
For football players, a healthy athlete with peak physical fitness may also suffer a sudden cardiac arrest and fall in the middle of a game, just like Eriksson.
It is possible that this is related to the most recent physical discomfort or illness, and it is possible that the previous illness has increased the load on the heart.
If the doctor finds out the true cause behind the cardiac arrest, some problems may be resolved and treatable, but there are also some problems that cannot be recovered and cannot be cured.
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops contracting, unable to transport blood to all parts of the body, resulting in hypoxia in the brain, unconsciousness, fainting, falling to the ground, and stopping breathing.
Cardiac arrest is not the same as myocardial infarction. Myocardial infarction is the sudden interruption of blood circulation in the heart muscle, usually caused by blood blockage in the coronary arteries.
Rare case
Eriksson is not the only football player who suffered a cardiac arrest and fell to the ground during a football game.
In 2012, during the 1/4 match of the English FA Cup, the Bolton player, 23-year-old Fabrice Muamba, suddenly fell to the ground. He suffered a cardiac arrest for 78 minutes and was lucky to save his life.
In 2003, Cameroon national team football player Marc-Vivien Foe (Marc-Vivien Foe) suffered a heart attack during a game against Colombia in Cameroon. He died after being sent to hospital when he was 28 years old.
Zafar Iqbal, the head of the medical team of the Premier League team Crystal Palace, said, “Professional athletes continue to exercise and train with high intensity, and the heart bears greater pressure than ordinary people, which increases the risks faced by professional athletes.”
But he said that cardiac arrest is still relatively rare in athletes.
Image source,Getty Images
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly stops contracting, unable to transport blood to all parts of the body
It’s not just football players who are physically fit and can have a cardiac arrest, anyone can have a cardiac arrest at any time.
In the UK, 12 people under the age of 35 die of cardiac arrest every week. Every year, 30,000 people suffer from cardiac arrest outside the hospital and require emergency treatment, and only one in ten survives.
Football players’ hearts may be larger and more efficient than ordinary people. Compared with smokers and people with unhealthy eating habits, they have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and heart problems.
However, dehydration, high fever and physical discomfort or illness during competition or training may put extra stress on the heart and affect the occurrence of cardiac arrest.
Every second counts
Iqbal said that in a cardiac arrest, CPR must be performed immediately, and then a cardiac defibrillator should be used to shock the heart. Everyone should know how to operate.
He said that every second must be counted to save a person from cardiac arrest, and every minute of delay will reduce the chance of survival by 10%.
Carrying out CPR cardiopulmonary resuscitation can increase the survival rate by more than twice in some cases, and the automatic defibrillator (AED) with voice operation instructions is a life-saving tool that every school should have.
In the UK, many public places, including office buildings, airports, shopping centers and community centers, are equipped with defibrillators.
The automatic defibrillator with voice operation instructions can be used by everyone. Experts say that there is little chance of using errors because the automatic defibrillator can automatically detect the patient’s heart rhythm and release an appropriate amount of current according to the heart rhythm. Electric shock to the heart.