FORMER Manchester United defender Daley Blind sparked huge fears on Tuesday night after he collapsed during Ajax’s friendly against Hertha Berlin.
The 30-year-old Dutchman was diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation in December after he suffered a dizzy spell in a Champions League game with Valencia.
Former Manchester United star Daley Blind collapsed while playing for Ajax in a friendly last nightCredit: Getty Images
Worried team-mates quickly raced off as medics were also on the sceneCredit: Getty Images
The defender collapsed with no-one around him during Ajax’s friendly with Hertha Berlin
He was cleared to return to action in February but now the star has suffered another scare.
With nobody close to him on the pitch, Blind slumped to the ground towards the end of his team’s 1-0 win in Amsterdam.
His worried team-mates quickly raced over to the responsive ace, with medics also arriving within seconds.
Blind was seen clutching his chest during the terrifying ordeal in the 79th-minute before he was able to leave without assistance.
Erik ten Hag, Blind’s boss at Ajax, said: “Daley Blind’s ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) went off.
“He got subbed off straight away and he is feeling okay now, he is feeling fine. We will do research about this now.”
What is an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and how does it work?
An ICD is a device which can be used to treat people who suffer from dangerously abnormal heart rhythms.
The device is placed under your skin to monitor your heart rate with thin wires connecting it to the heart.
It monitors the rhythm of your heart through the electrodes.
If the ICD picks up a dangerous heart rhythm it is able to do three things:
- Cardioversion – this is where one or more small electric shocks are used to try and restore the heart to its normal rhythm
- Defibrillation – one or more larger electric shocks to help restore normal rhythm
- Pacing – low voltage pulses that are delivered to try and correct the rhythm
The British Heart Foundation states that you will need an ICD if you have already had a life threatening abnormal heart rhythm and you are at risk of having it again.
You may also need one if tests show you are at risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm – or if you have another condition such as heart failure.
After returning to the first-team set-up six months ago after being fitted with a electronic device to monitor his heart, he explained his joy at being back playing.
Doctors fitted him with a device to help him called a subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
This is designed to regulate any abnormal heart rhythms, preventing a potential cardiac arrest.
Blind said ahead of his return: “I am really happy to be back on the pitch.
“I had a little bit of tension beforehand because you don’t know how it will go.
“The doctor really needed to hold me back and step on the brakes because I wanted to get back ASAP.
“I wasn’t scared at all, I wanted to get back on the pitch as fast as possible.”
Ex-Man Utd star Daley Blind diagnosed with heart condition after complaining of dizziness against Valencia
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
