Luton Town captain released from hospital after suffering cardiac arrest
Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer, who experienced a cardiac arrest in the match against Bournemouth last Saturday, has been released from the hospital.
The club announced that the 29-year-old has undergone the fitting of an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) device.
Luton also clarified that his recent cardiac arrest differed from his previous collapse in the Championship play-off final in May, during which he experienced atrial fibrillation.
“We are thankful to report he has begun rehabilitation,” said a club statement.
In the 59th minute of the match, Lockyer collapsed, leading to both teams being escorted off the pitch for his medical attention.
Subsequently, the game at Vitality Stadium was ultimately called off with the score tied at 1-1. A rescheduled date for the complete replay of the match will be announced later.
In an official statement, Luton, Lockyer, and his family expressed gratitude to Bournemouth, their supporters, and midfielder Philip Billing, the first to assist the defender, for their assistance during the incident.
It added: “Supported by the actions of Bournemouth’s medical team and local paramedics, it was ultimately the protocols instilled and professional actions of our own medical staff that gave Tom this chance to recover and to whom we are thankful.
“The clinical advice Tom and the Club has taken since the Championship play-off final has been conducted by the most renowned cardiologists, who have been involved at every step, along with a team of supporting multi-disciplinary consultants.
“We can now confirm that the tests taken this week had revealed that the issue Tom experienced on Saturday was different to the atrial fibrillation he suffered in May.”
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Bournemouth said: We couldn’t be happier to hear this news. We’re wishing Tom well for his continued recovery.”
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola paid tribute to the medical staff and supporters for their “amazing” reaction.
“I think we feel now more relieved that we have good news about Tom,” he said in a news conference on Thursday. “We hope the good news continues and he recovers well.”
Lockyer was hospitalized in May after collapsing eight minutes into the play-off final against Coventry due to atrial fibrillation, a condition characterized by an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate, according to the NHS. In June, he received medical clearance to resume playing following heart surgery.
An Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) is a compact, battery-powered device implanted in the chest to detect and halt irregular heartbeats. It administers electric shocks when necessary to restore a regular heart rhythm.
Former Manchester United defender Daley Blind, experiencing dizziness during a Champions League game in 2019, was diagnosed with a heart condition and fitted with an ICD. Similarly, in 2021, Denmark’s Christian Eriksen received the heart-starting device after collapsing on the pitch during Euro 2020.