Plan to protect footballers
Tuesday August 13th, 2013
Football clubs should step up measures to prepare for medical emergencies following a series of incidents involving players, experts say today.
Senior
doctors working for the world football association, FIFA, set out the
organisation's recommendations for football clubs to prepare for incidents
such as cardiac arrests.
One of the most high profile cases was that of footballer Fabrice Muamba, who was playing for Bolton Wanders in the UK when his heart stopped for an hour. He survived after getting emergency care from the team physician.
FIFA has now developed an emergency medical "bag", which contains a defibrillator and a spinal board.
The organisation says the bag should be available at all levels of sports events, including amateur games and training sessions.
The bag contains devices to help treat anaphylactic shock, spinal fracture and sudden cardiac arrest.
Chief medical officer Professor Jiri Dvorak, from Zurich, Switzerland, sets out the proposals in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
He calls for clubs to develop an "11 step" protocol, including screening of athletes, planning and training and on-duty medical teams.
He writes: "Education of the medical and paramedical staff, coaches, physiotherapists, referees and fitness trainers is an essential adjunct to this process.
"The FIFA Medical Emergency Bag is the proposed medical equipment standards to be provided at every football field and to be used whenever medical emergencies arise.”
The FIFA medical emergency bag and FIFA 11 steps to prevent sudden cardiac death: setting a global standard and promoting consistent football emergency care British Journal of Sports Medicine 13 August 2013; doi 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092767 [abstract]
Tags: A&E | Europe | Fitness | Heart Health | UK News | World Health
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