Christian Eriksen to get heart starter implant after collapse on pitch at Euro 2020
Mattias Karen | The Associated Press | Posted: June 17, 2021 11:05 AM | Last Updated: June 17, 2021
Team doctor says player's heart stopped and 'he was gone' before resuscitation
Christian Eriksen will be fitted with an implantable device to monitor his heart rhythm, the Danish soccer federation said Thursday.
Eriksen is recovering in a Copenhagen hospital after suffering cardiac arrest during Denmark's game against Finland at the European Championship.
The Danish federation said doctors have determined that Eriksen needs to have an ICD — implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
"This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances," the federation said in a statement. "Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment. We encourage everybody to give Christian and his family peace and privacy the following time."
An ICD monitors a person's heartbeat and can send electrical pulses to restore a normal rhythm if necessary.
WATCH | Online misinformation circulates after the Eriksen's collapse:
Netherlands defender Daley Blind still plays professionally with an ICD. He had one fitted after being diagnosed with an inflamed heart muscle in 2019.
Denmark plays Belgium in its second Euro 2020 game on Thursday. The game will feature a minute's applause for Eriksen in the 10th minute in honor of his No. 10 national team shirt.