How Defibrillators Work to Prevent Cardiac Arrests, Tom Lockyer Joins Eriksen on List

• Tom Lockyer has made a full recovery after suffering from a cardiac arrest on December 16
• The Luton Town captain has now joined Cristian Eriksen in having an ICD device in his heart
• Sports Brief walks you through the two heart-in-mouth incidents and how defibrillators work

June 12, 2021. Parken Stadium, Copenhagen. Christian Eriksen is about to receive the ball from a throw-in when he collapses on the turf. His arms don't come out to attempt to break the fall.

Simon Kjaer races the entire length of the pitch, bellowing at the medical staff to come in. The veteran defender puts his teammate on the side and ensures the airway is open - an act later hailed as one of the things that kept Eriksen alive.

The world stood still. Everybody held his breath - from the players on the pitch to the slightly over 13,000 fans inside the stadium to the millions watching worldwide. Team doctor Morten Boesen later said that when he arrived at the scene, Eriksen was practically 'gone.'

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Tom Lockyer's collapse

Two years later, Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer falls the ground unchallenged during a Premier League game against Bournemouth. Manager Rob Edwards immediately runs onto the pitch as the medical staff make a beeline for the defender, who is motionless.

Unlike Eriksen, this was Lokcyer's second collapse in six months, and the medical staff have a feeling of what they are dealing with. BBC Sports reports that he was "technically dead" for two minutes and 40 seconds.

Both players suffered from cardiac arrests, which offered a stark reminder that football might be important, but there are other invaluable things, like life, that will always precede it.

Eriksen and Lockyer made full recoveries, with the former allowed to return to football after the installation of an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) device. Lockyer has yet to make a decision on his return, but he has now joined the Manchester United midfielder in having a similar device implanted in his heart.

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How Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator works

So, how does the defibrillator work? The two players suffered from cardiac arrest, which is a result of the heart losing control of its activities due to an irregular rhythm. It leads to the sudden loss of breathing and consciousness, which explains the 'technically dead' comments.

The ICD is a device that delivers electric shock to the heart in cases of cardiac arrest. Its work is to analyse the heart rhythm, and in case of an irregularity, it records it and releases the shock to restore it to normalcy. The device has a battery that lasts up to 10 years with electrodes connected to the heart.

"There is a wire that runs to my heart. It constantly monitors my heart rate in case it goes off," explains Lokcyer to Sky Sports, "If it goes outside certain parameters, it is designed to give me a shock."

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How effective is the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator?

To date, there has been no evidence to show that a player dies or suffered an injury after being implanted with the device. A team from Yale University did research on over 400 athletes in four years fitted with the ICD and recorded that at least 10% received a shock after the device noted irregular rhythm.

Lockyer has promised to take his family's considerations before deciding whether he will represent the Hatters again.

"I'm super lucky because if this didn't happen on a football pitch, there's every chance I wouldn't be here. And the thought of leaving my girlfriend to raise a child on her own is heartbreaking. I would have to speak to the family before considering returning."

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The striker, who had a long history of heart complications, collapsed in an Albanian top-flight game.

He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.