If the events on Saturday at White Hart Lane have taught us anything, it's the value of prompt cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and getting a defib attached to the patient as soon as possible. When Fabrice Muamba collapsed during the FA Cup quarter-final between Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers, the medical staff were delivering CPR within moments and a defib was attached only a few minutes after that. In total Muamba's heart had stopped for 78 minutes, yet he survived. Credit is thoroughly deserved by all those who worked furiously to make it happen.
Having trained people available who knew what to do saved Muamba’s life. If someone collapsed in the street near you, would you know what to do? Or would you stand back and do nothing because you don’t know what to do? The British Heart Foundation video with Vinnie Jones shows just how simple CPR can be, anyone can do it. If you haven’t seen it then please spare a few minutes, it could save someone’s life.
Having trained people available who knew what to do saved Muamba’s life. If someone collapsed in the street near you, would you know what to do? Or would you stand back and do nothing because you don’t know what to do? The British Heart Foundation video with Vinnie Jones shows just how simple CPR can be, anyone can do it. If you haven’t seen it then please spare a few minutes, it could save someone’s life.
What other important fact can we note from this incident? Cardiac arrests don’t just happen to the elderly or those with an unhealthy lifestyle.
It wouldn’t be right to speculate on the exact cause of Muamba’s cardiac arrest but the reality is that he's a 23 year athlete at the peak of his physical fitness. You would not expect it to happen to someone like him. The cardiac arrest did not occur during the final minutes of a pulsating end-to-end game when players are exhausted, it happened in the first half during a quiet spell. You would not expect it at that time.
Cardiac arrests could happen to anyone, at any time. It always pays to be prepared and to know exactly what to do if the situation arises.
It's too early to tell what the extent of Muamba's recovery will be but whatever the outcome, he is a very lucky man. He is still alive while others are not so lucky. A few days earlier a 15 year old collapsed during a rugby match and despite the best efforts of the ambulance crew, he died soon after.
