Christian Eriksen, who suffered an on-field collapse in Denmark’s opening Euro 2020 game versus Finland, will be fitted with an implantable device to monitor his heart rhythm, the Danish soccer federation said on Thursday.
Eriksen is recovering in a Copenhagen hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest, and the Danish federation said doctors have determined that Eriksen needs to have an ICD implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
“This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances,” the federation said in a statement. The device is an advanced version of a pacemaker.
“Eriksen 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,” the statement added.
An ICD monitors a person's heartbeat and can send electrical pulses to restore a normal rhythm if necessary.
Denmark team doctor Morten Boesen had recently said that the midfielder was “gone” but an immediate response by medical staff stabilised his condition.
Netherlands defender Daley Blind still plays professionally with an ICD. He had one fitted after being diagnosed with an inflamed heart muscle in 2019.
Denmark play Belgium in their second Euro 2020 game on Thursday. The game will feature a minute's applause for Eriksen in the 10th minute in honor of his No. 10 national team shirt.
