Fabrice Muamba: End Of A Rising Star?

Fabrice Ndala Muamba, born 6 April 1988, is a footballer who plays for Bolton Wanderers as a midfielder in the Premier League. He previously played for Arsenal and Birmingham City. Though born in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), Muamba has represented England at under-21 level.

On 17 March 2012, Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed during the first half of an FA Cup quarter-final match between Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. After receiving lengthy attention on the pitch from medical personnel including a consultant cardiologist who was at the game as a fan, Muamba was taken to the specialist coronary care unit at the London Chest Hospital.

Bolton’s club doctor later confirmed that Muamba had received numerous defibrillator shocks both on the pitch and in the ambulance, but his heart had stopped for 78 minutes. The player was initially kept under anaesthetic in intensive care.By 19 March, his heart was beating without medication and he was able to move his limbs,and later that day his condition was described as “serious” rather than “critical” and he was able to recognise family members and respond appropriately to questions. By 21 March, his consultant suggested that Muamba’s progress had “exceeded our expectations” and that although he faced a “lengthy recovery period”, “normal life within the spectrum of possibility”.

Surprisingly, a leading heart specialist has cast doubts on whether Muamba will ever play professional football again.

Peter Weissberg, the Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, believes Muamba’s sudden collapse means he can never truly be cleared to compete in the future – even if he makes a full recovery.

Weissberg believes it would be difficult for the former Arsenal youngster to make a comeback.

He said: “t is not possible to say but I think it is likely he would be advised not to play again because most conditions like this are a combination of physical activity and an underlying tendency to have a cardiac arrest.”

Weissberg, however, praised the fast-acting medics present at the time when Muamba collapsed.

“I’m impressed with the response but you would expect that at a Premier League football ground,” he said.

“It was a fantastic example of a well-trained team recognising first of all what was wrong and then moving into action and doing something very, very quickly about it.’

Since the incident there have been calls from many quarters of the game to enhance player screenings in an attempt to eradicate such issues arising, something Weissberg believes is almost impossible.

He said: “It will happen from time to time and the reason for that is, as doctors, we can not yet predict with total accuracy those players who might have an underlying heart problem.

“I’m afraid the technology is not good enough yet to identify the really, really subtle heart conditions which just aren’t apparent until someone keels over. Weissberg did suggest solutions which could be in place to help Muamba if he were to suffer a similar attack in the future, but that does not mean he should be making a return to the pitch.

‘With people like Fabrice we can put in a defibrillator inside the body,’ he said.

‘But I repeat, I think it is unlikely he would be advised to play football again even though he may be fit and healthy to do so.’