Christian Eriksen’s agent says the midfielder is “making jokes” in hospital but wants answers from doctors after suffering a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s Euro 2020 opener.
Eriksen was given emergency CPR on the pitch during Saturday’s game against Finland, which was temporarily suspended as the 29-year-old was taken to Rigshospitalet, a hospital near Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.
Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen said Eriksen was “gone”, but swift treatment on the field of play and by hospital staff meant the midfielder was stabilised, and he was later able to send his greetings to team-mates.
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Martin Schoots, Eriksen’s agent, told Italian outlet Gazzetta on Sunday that the Dane is in good spirits, and is “happy” after seeing the support he has received from around the game.
“We spoke this morning [Sunday]. He was making jokes, he was in a good mood, I thought he was well,” Schoots said.
“We all want to understand what happened to him, and he does too: the doctors are making some in-depth tests, but we’ll need some time.
“He was happy, because he understood how much love he has around him. He received messages from the whole world. And he was particularly struck by those in the Inter environment: not just his team-mates who spoke to him in their private chat, but also the fans.
“Christian won’t give up. Him, and his family, want to make sure that everybody receives their thanks. Half the world contacted us, everyone was worried. Now he only needs to rest, his wife and parents are with him.
“Even tomorrow [Monday], he will remain under observation, maybe Tuesday as well. But in any case he wants to support his team-mates against Belgium.”
Denmark Medical Doctors intervene for Eriksen
The swift intervention of Simon Kjaer and the medical staff saved Eriksen’s life.
“[Eriksen] was gone,” Denmark’s team doctor Boesen said. “We did cardiac resuscitation, it was a cardiac arrest. How close were we to losing him? I don’t know but we got him back after one defib, so that’s quite fast.”
Eriksen’s sudden collapse prompted Kjaer to clear his team-mate’s airways and start the life-saving CPR technique, which was continued with the aid of a defibrillator and professional medical staff.
Fortunately, the Denmark captain’s first aid skills proved vital and Eriksen is now recovering in hospital and considered to be out of danger.
CPR is quite easy to learn and it can be the difference between life and death before emergency medical services can arrive to help out.
So what is it, how does it make a difference and how should you behave if you find yourself in an emergency?
“Time is myocardium, that’s what we say in medicine – that means the longer that there is a time delay, the higher the chance that the heart muscle will never recover,” Professor of Cardiology Dr Sanjay Sharma told Sky Sports News.
“In fact for every minute that passes, the chances of an individual surviving go down by between seven and 10 per cent. So it’s very, very crucial to keep the heart beating during these crucial moments and get the heart started as quickly as possible.
“Not just so that the cardiac outcome will be good, but also that the other organs, such as the brain, remain well perfused so that the individual after survival remains healthy.”
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