Eriksen to have ‘heart starter’ fitted after suffering cardiac arrest
Danish FA have confirmed that Christian Eriksen will have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (IDC) inserted following his cardiac arrest over the weekend.
The Denmark midfielder was rushed to a Copenhagen hospital after he collapsed during his nation’s Euro 2020 opener vs Finland.
Eriksen’s condition has stabilised in recent days, with tests continuing to check if there were any abnormalities that could have caused the issue.
The DBU have now confirmed that he will have an IDC fitted as per international medical advice.
The statement reads: “After Christian has been through different heart examinations it has been decided that he should have an ICD (heart starter). This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances.
“Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment.
“We encourage everybody to give Christian and his family peace and privacy the following time.”
Denmark continue their Euro 2020 campaign on Thursday, when they take on Belgium at the scene of Eriksen’s distressing collapse.
The Danes know they need a result to stay in the mix for the knockout stages after they fell to a shock defeat to Finland when the game resumed.
UEFA confirmed that at the players’ request proceedings would conclude on Saturday night, with the restart coming less than two hours after Eriksen suffered the cardiac arrest.
The president of the DBU Jesper Moller has hit out at that process, claiming that changes to the laws must be inserted to ensure it isn’t repeated.
“It was a wrong decision and completely untenable that the players had to be on the field so soon after the horrible experience,” Moller explained.
“That situation players and coaches should not be brought into, because it is and should not be their decision.
“Now we want an evaluation of the entire decision-making process so that we can get all the relevant facts and information on the table.”
read also:Rudiger escapes UEFA punishment for biting Man Utd ace Pogba
Belgium are planning a tribute to Eriksen during the game with Denmark, with Romelu Lukaku confirming they will kick the ball out of play after 10 minutes in order for fans to pay tribute.
Roberto Martinez said: “As you can imagine, the uncertainty that we had when the incident happened, that was a really tough moment, a tough moment for any player that was watching the game, a tough moment for players who have been sharing dressing rooms with Christian.
“Then from that point on, once you get the good news that Christian reacted positively, that he was talking, that he was in hospital, now it’s almost a celebration.