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Euro 2020: Denmark’s Eriksen to get heart starter implant after collapse on pitch

Small electronic device, a type of pacemaker, can prevent fatal cardiac arrests

Last updated: June 17, 2021 | 13:42

Reuters

2 MIN READ

Christian Eriksen will get a heart starter device implanted after his collapse due to a cardiac arrest.

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Copenhagen: Christian Eriksen will get a heart starter device implanted after his collapse due to a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener, the national team doctor said today.

Eriksen’s life was saved when CPR was administered to him on the pitch and his heart was re-started with a defibrillator before he was taken to hospital, where he is recovering.

He will receive an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), a small electronic device, a type of pacemaker, which can prevent fatal cardiac arrests by discharging a jolt to restore a regular heart rhythm.

Danish footballer Christian Eriksen gives a thumbs-up at Rigshospitalet, where he is treated after he collapsed during a UEFA Euro 2020 game on Saturday, in Copenhagen, Denmark, in this picture obtained from social media. Picture published June 15, 2021. Danish Football Association/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

Heart examination

“After Christian has been through different heart examinations it has been decided that he should have an ICD,” doctor Morten Boesen said in a statement.

“This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances.

“Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment,” Boesen said.

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