Fabrice Muamba 'dead in that time'

[SCFulhamFan]

LONDON -- Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba was essentially dead after he suffered cardiac arrest during a match last weekend and needed 15 shocks to get his heart beating again.

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/ ... a-recovers

[nevzter]

That he is responding, and alive, is quite a miracle. Brilliant job by the medics. God bless to him and his family.

[DCHeather]

He is incredibly lucky to living. Still hoping for the best for him and his family.

[Clevelandmo]

Very lucky indeed.

This is the part I dont understand. They say it took 15 shocks and 78 or so minutes. What is the difference between Muamba and Ryan Shay. Shay was given immediate CPR and a defibrillator soon followed, but he was pronounced dead before the race was even over. Do they mean they had to keep shocking Muamba because they could get a heart beat but it wouldnt keep beating on its own. Does that mean Shay just straightlined the whole time, despite the use of the defibrillator.

[DCHeather]

Here's an interesting article that raises some interesting questions on Fabrice's condition.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2 ... 04819.html

All the facts surrounding Muamba’s incident make a fascinating story, but there is another angle that has been given very little attention by the press. Even though there is currently no public information about which cardiovascular tests the player was subjected to, it has been reported that Muamba had been previously screened in the past for potential cardiovascular ailments.

Assuming that he was subjected to screening, it would be interesting to know what type of examinations were performed and, if he had a cardiac abnormality, why it was not accounted for. It is very likely that at one point or another he must have been subjected to one or more electrocardiograms (EKGs). An EKG is a noninvasive test that records the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time as detected by electrodes attached to the outer surface of the skin. The procedure is used to measure the rate and regularity of heartbeats as well as the presence of any abnormalities to the heart.

The use of an EKG to screen footballers and other athletes in the UK is not uncommon. Italy and Israel actually have laws in place that makes it mandatory for every athlete to be screened with an EKG.

It may very well be possible that Fabrice Muamba may have had completely normal results in all the cardiovascular tests, including one or more EKGs. If one believes that an EKG is the cure-all and tell-all of cardiovascular diagnostic procedures, then one may be in for a surprise. False negatives in an EKG are not uncommon and such procedures, when administered without an echocardiogram, can sometimes be flawed. In fact, 10 percent of patients that suffer from HCM may have a normal or near normal EKGs.

The medical condition he suffered could also be more related to an electrical or electrolyte imbalance or an ion-channel abnormality, one of those rare genetic problems that can present in this way. These conditions are difficult to diagnose. It's important to note that less than 1 percent of cardiac arrests that occur out in the community will be this healthy-heart/ion-channel electrical-abnormality group. At this point this is solely a conjecture.

But what if there were red flags in the screening process that were deliberately ignored? When I raised this possibility in a phone conversation with Dr. Maron, he told me it was a fair question and an issue that must be considered.
“It is not uncommon for a physician’s judgment to be impaired by external pressure from those with a vested interest in the career of a player”, he said. When confronted with unwarranted diagnosis players may even shop around for a verdict that does not place their careers in jeopardy. However, Dr. Maron made a point of saying that we do not know if this was actually the case.

“We do not want to jump to any hasty conclusions,” he cautioned. “We do not have any results from the cardiovascular tests that this player may have performed in the past and, at the moment, no evidence of negligence or wrongdoing is evident.

“But nevertheless, some of these issues are important and must be further looked into.”

The fact of the matter is that Fabrice Muamba almost lost his life, despite being an elite footballer playing at the highest level with high fitness levels and an alleged history of screenings. This is a very serious matter. The fact that he is alive is extraordinary and a tribute to the immediate treatment he received on the field. But at this point, we don’t know how fully he will recover ─ he may have suffered substantial neurological damage.

We should not be timid in seeking clarification about his medical condition prior to the collapse because it could cast a spotlight on medical issues beneficial to the public at large and the sporting community in particular. Until now, the results of the screenings conducted on Muamba have not been released to the public.

Although Muamba has a medical right of privacy, this case raises imperative medical issues both inside and outside the game. Therefore, Muamba should make this information immediately available. Unfortunately despite a great deal of effort, I was not able to get more clarity on Muamba’s pre-existing and current medical condition.

I cut and pasted most of the article, but read the whole thing. It's a very good article.

[DCHeather]

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story ... es?cc=5901


Not surprising that he is retiring.