Heart problems in the field: Italy at the forefront in prevention

Heart problems on the pitch, Italy on the front line. Mattia Giani died yesterday at Careggi hospital, 26 year old footballer who suffered a cardiac arrest at the Campi Bisenzio stadium on Sunday, in the Eccellenza match between Lanciotto and Castelfiorentino. The player fell ill in the 14th minute of the first half and collapsed to the ground. The conditions immediately appeared very serious.

Heart problems: Ndika discharged

All this while Roma defender Evan Ndicka was being discharged from the Santa Maria della Misericordia hospital of Udine (with a diagnosis of «thoracic trauma with minimal left pneumothorax») after collapsing to the ground due to an illness during Udinese-Roma and causing people to fear the worst. On the anniversary of Piermario Morosini’s death in the field on 14 April 2012.

“Italy at the forefront”

According to Furio Colivicchi, past president of Anmco, the National Association of hospital cardiologists, and director of Clinical and rehabilitation cardiology of the San Filippo Neri in Rome, «the footballers who play in Italy are subjected to medical-sports checks that have no equal in the world. We have specific legislation for competitive sports eligibility.”

«Sports medicine in Italy is always at the forefront, especially in the cardiological field, with very strict protocols», said the head of the Inter medical area, Piero Volpi, on the microphones of “La politica nel balloon” on air on Gr Parliament. «It is always good to be cautious – he continued – considering that modern football it is played at high intensity and is full of commitments. I must say that the topic always deserves particular attention and particular investments in the medical field to preserve the health of footballers. Today all sports sectors and not have the obligation to have defibrillatorsmoreover in the professional field there is an emergency service where it is possible to give an initial intervention to the athletes, but it is also useful for the fans. Italian sports medicine is at the forefront in Europe and the world.”

And it’s true. In Italy for example when a footballer is purchased checks are also meticulous in the cardiac field. And they can go as far as requesting an echocardiogram, which shows the anatomy of the heart. But often it’s not enough. The Inter midfielder’s collapse on the pitch dates back to the 2021 European Championship, Christian Eriksen. It was cardiac arrest. Which made him fear for his life. Eriksen fortunately escaped death and even returned to play thanks to a fixed defibrillator: but not in Italy, where playing like this is prohibited.