Shock through the heart | Prairie Communications, LLC

One of the most terrifying sights on a sports field is game-stopping, and sometimes ending, injuries.

The Kansas City Chiefs have canceled practice for Thursday, June 6, 2024 after defensive end BJ Thompson suffered a seizure and suffered cardiac arrest.

Fox 4 Kansas City sports anchor Harold R. Kuntz reported that Thompson was stable Thursday afternoon after medical personnel were able to respond immediately and take him to a local hospital.

This also happened on December 16, 2023, during an English Premier League match between Luton Town and AFC Bournemouth. Luton captain Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch during the match, receiving treatment on the pitch for around seven minutes before being taken away on a stretcher.

Lockyer received additional medical treatment at the stadium’s medical facilities, before being transported to a local hospital. The footballer attributes his recovery to medical staff and their quick actions, drawing attention to learning CPR.

“I cannot stress enough how important it is for as many people as possible to know CPR. It literally saves lives, like mine,” Lockyer said in an Instagram post.

Abraham Kocheril, MD, director of cardiac electrophysiology at OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute in Urbana, Illinois, says his interest in athletes and sudden cardiac death began in 1993. Dr. Kocheril was then at the Medical College of Georgia and began focusing on cardiac arrest in sports making up a large part of his research.

In 1995, Dr. Kocheril began working with the University of Illinois athletic program to study sports screening and treatment pathways. In 2009, Dr. Kocheril and his colleagues across the United States formed the National Sports Cardiology Network.

Dr. Kocheril says an underlying illness is the main reason athletes experience cardiac arrests during a sporting match. Underlying conditions may be coronary artery disease, irregular heartbeat, or a congenital heart defect.

“Exercise puts quite a lot of stress on the heart,” says Dr. Kocheril. “If you have one of these underlying conditions and you add the effort of vigorous exercise to that, you can cause one of these rhythm disorders.”

For children, Dr. Kocheril says, cardiac arrests in athletics normally come from conditions they were born with. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common pathology. It affects the left ventricle of the heart, which is the main pumping chamber of the heart. Kocheril adds that only 0.2% of athletes suffer from these kinds of conditions.

Lockyer’s cardiac arrest isn’t the only time a football player has suddenly collapsed, stunning players, staff and fans. In June 2021, Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch during Euro 2020. Like Lockyer, he received life-saving treatment on and off the pitch and survived.

Nearly nine months later, Eriksen returned to competitive play in the English Premier League for Brentford, he now plays for Manchester United.

Presentation of the implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)

But how was Eriksen able to return to action so soon after being so close to death? He now wears an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), a small electronic device connected to the heart. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, it closely monitors the heart and regulates rapid and life-threatening cardiac electrical problems.

This brings Dr. Kocheril back to another world-famous footballer, Anthony Van Loo.

“He had an event, they figured out what it was, got an ICD, and they allowed him to continue playing,” says Dr. Kocheril. “The next time he collapses, he falls to the ground, we see a jolt and he’s awake again. Then he can start playing again.

Van Loo was just 20 years old when he suffered cardiac arrest due to cardiac arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. While playing for Belgian first division team KSV Roselare in 2009, his ICD returned his heart to a normal rhythm.

How to prevent sudden deaths during sporting events?

In addition to using an ICD, Dr. Kocheril says awareness before sporting events is crucial.

“Often, exercising before sudden death presents symptoms that alert you that this is happening,” says Dr. Kocheril.

These symptoms may include chest discomfort, shortness of breath, dizziness, unusual sweating, heart rhythm abnormalities, and discomfort in other parts of the body.

“The key is to pay attention and image the artery in some way to see if this is happening,” says Dr. Kocheril.

Like what happened with Lockyer and Eriksen, Dr. Kocheril says these are perfect examples of the importance of having an automated external defibrillator (AED) nearby and knowing CPR.

“When someone collapses, you need to start CPR immediately and maintain circulation. Then attach the AED. If it’s a shockable rhythm, deliver the shock,” says Dr. Kocheril.

Dr. Kocheril says another preventative measure is knowing your own family history. If a member of your family has suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during exercise or a sporting event, it is important to have your children examined by a doctor, preferably by someone with expertise in sudden cardiac arrest.

In addition to sports physicals, cardiologists may give athletes electrocardiograms (ECGs), stress tests, and other cardiac screenings.

A few seconds save lives

“If someone is immobilized for nine minutes before you start resuscitation, their chances of survival are almost zero. For every minute, you lose 10% (chances of survival),” emphasizes Dr Kocheril.

GPS vests

Sports clubs are also looking to monitor players more closely using GPS vests. These monitors, which look like sports bras, measure players’ performance during practices and matches. The objective is to improve the physical condition of a team but also to reduce injuries. Everton FC, an English Premier League club, claims the GPS module is located between the player’s shoulder blades. Everton players also wear a heart rate strap that goes across the chest.

Learn more

If you are concerned that you or your child may have an underlying heart condition, contact your primary care provider. After consultation, they will be able to refer you to a specialist in cardiology for appropriate examinations.

***Courtesy of OSF HealthCare***