Euro 2021: Cristian Eriksen will have a defibrillator implanted

After discussion between the doctor of the Danish team and the doctors who follow Cristian Eriksen, still hospitalized, it was decided that the player would be equipped with a subcutaneous defibrillator.

"This device is necessary after a" heart attack due to an arrhythmia ", justifies the press release of the Danish Federation which specifies that" the player accepted this protocol advised by national and international specialists ".

In addition, the German UEFA doctor who took care of the Danish player during his cardiac arrest against Finland at the Euro on Saturday came out of his silence this Thursday morning. In an interview with German media group Funke, the doctor talks about the "moving moment" when the player came to life. “After a few minutes of cardiac massage, the 29-year-old was revived with the help of a defibrillator,” says Dr. Jens Kleinefeld. “About thirty seconds later, the player opened his eyes and I was able to speak to him directly. It was a very moving moment because in this kind of emergency, in everyday life, the chances of success are much lower ”.

The doctor reveals that he looked at the Inter Milan player and asked him: 'Well, are you back with us? ". To which Eriksen replied: "Yes I'm back with you: damn it, I'm only 29 years old!" ".

“It was at that moment,” continues the doctor, “that I knew that his brain had not been damaged and that it had completely returned”. Christian Eriksen therefore answered all the questions that were put to him in order to determine if he had no neurological sequelae, and if he was fully conscious in the stadium. But it took a long time to install the necessary medical equipment to transport him to the hospital, according to Dr. Kleinefeld. “Treatment with electric shock generally has a high success rate in professional athletes in good health compared to average patients with various ailments,” he continues, continuing: “I was 99% certain in the stage that he would arrive at the hospital and that his condition would remain stable ”, continued the doctor.

In a tragic moment that shocked the whole world, Christian Eriksen suddenly collapsed, unconscious, on the pitch in the 43rd minute of the game against Finland last Saturday in Copenhagen. It was later confirmed that the player had suffered cardiac arrest. In a message published on Tuesday, the Danish player said "to be fine despite the circumstances". "I still have to do tests at the hospital but I feel good," he wrote on Instagram, under a photo of him smiling, thumbs up, on his hospital bed.