New guidelines to help athletes who suffer cardiac arrest like Fabrice Muamba

Midfielder Muamba made 147 appearances for the Whites but was forced to cut his playing career short after suffering a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup quarter final tie against Tottenham in March 2012 aged 24.

Doctors treating the player said his heart stopped beating for 78 minutes.

Guidelines have now been released by Resuscitation Council UK which are predicted to boost changes of an athlete making full recovery through prompt recognition, high-quality CPR, early defibrillation, and effective emergency planning.

The guidelines are designed for medical teams who need to respond to an athlete having a cardiac arrest during or shortly after sporting activity, across all community and professional sports such as football, swimming and tennis.

Coaching at Wanderers has helped Muamba rediscover his ‘love for the game’ (Image: PA)

Michael Bradfield, director of clinical and service development at Resuscitation Council UK, said: ”Sudden cardiac arrest on the field-of-play can be difficult to recognise.

“Some athletes may look as though they are breathing or have seizure-like activity with their eyes open.

“It’s important to recognise that these signs can be present, however a person may need immediate resuscitation.

“Any unexpected collapse where someone is unresponsive should be presumed to be a sudden cardiac arrest and treated accordingly.

“Medical teams can use our document to support excellent practice in the resuscitation of athletes at all levels of sport.”

Though Muamba was forced to retire that same year, the 35-year-old continues to work in the game as a coach at Bolton’s academy.

He has also supported a lifesaving campaign which is funded and delivered by family-run heart charity Red Sky Foundation and rolled-out by Team Grassroots – the UK’s largest independent grassroots football organisation.

In another high profile football incident, Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest playing for Denmark at Euro 2020 but survived thanks to the swift response of teammates, match officials and medical staff.

He has since returned to action and plays for Manchester United and his country.

Resuscitation Council UK added that the occurrence of a cardiac arrest is a rare but devastating event – approximately one in 217,000 people per year suffer a sports-related sudden death.

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