Edoardo Bove collapsed in horrific scenes on December 1, causing Fiorentina’s Serie A match with Inter Milan to be suspended with players in shock.
Thankfully, due to the reactions of those on the day, the 22-year-old is on the mend in hospital.
Bove was taken to intensive care, but no neurological or cardiovascular damage has been reported.
In the following days, it emerged that Bove was suffering from low levels of potassium, and Corriere dello Sport spoke to an expert on the matter to understand how that could have led to his collapse.
“Ventricular tachycardia [too fast heart rate in lower chambers of the heart] is typical of low potassium,” explained Professor Leonardo Calò.
“Depending on the loss of many mineral salts or previous tendencies. Anyone who goes into hypokalemia [low potassium] can have ventricular tachycardia, even if the heart has no problems.
“Can they also occur after a stroke? Certainly, they can generate extrasystoles [additional heartbeats] that then lead to arrhythmias [irregular heartbeat]. If we add low potassium to the stroke and arrhythmias, we create the perfect storm, which puts even a healthy heart in crisis.”
“Ventricular tachycardia can be caused by a low level of some electrolytes, in particular potassium and magnesium,” Massimo Grimaldi of the National Association of Hospital Cardiologists added.
“This risk increases if there is a genetic predisposition called long QT, but I imagine that Bove did not have it because when he had the sports fitness exam the electrocardiogram would have highlighted it.”
Further explaining what saved Bove’s life, Calò credited the speed of intervention with him treated on the pitch for four minutes and then resuscitated in the ambulance another four minutes later.
“What saved him was the promptness of the intervention,” he said. “In Italy, we are at world-class levels of excellence in terms of prevention and treatment, but the ability of everyone, from footballers to referees, to intervene quickly should be better systematized.
“All it takes is some courses: knowing how to use a defibrillator is fundamental and anyone can learn, because it also tells you which buttons to press. The main cause of death is a response that is not so rapid.”
Calò warned that improper intervention like Danilo Cataldi’s can be dangerous, with a stricken person just needing to be put in the recovery position rather than any fingers in the mouth to stop the individual ‘swallowing their tongue’.
“We obviously appreciate the gesture, but improvisation is not decisive,” he added. “The manoeuvre that was done by inserting the fingers into Bove’s mouth is strongly discouraged.
“The patient can suddenly close his mouth and there is a risk of having very serious injuries to the fingers, then at that moment wounds can be made inside the mouth that can be difficult to bleed on a patient of that nature.
“Everyone should take first aid courses. It’s a few hours that can save lives.”
Leave a Reply