Christian Eriksen collapse: Defibrillators 'must be accessible' in football
After Christian Eriksen’s unexpected and very shocking cardiac arrest during the Euro 2020 Finland vs. Denmark game, the discussion of how crucial defibrillators are has been on the rise. Many people have died after suffering a cardiac arrest in public simply because a defibrillator was not on hand to aid in the emergency treatment. Statistics prove the value of a defibrillator; administering defibrillation within three to five minutes of someone collapsing can produce a 50-70% better survival rate. More needs to be done to ensure better accessibility of these life saving devices not just in football, but everywhere. Eriksen’s incident highlights just how valuable it can be.
The Power of a Petition
The voice of the general public is extremely important in raising awareness of issues like these. It is vital that all football grounds have access to defibrillators, but to allow this change to take effect, it needs to be campaigned for. A campaign to make defibrillators accessible in all football grounds was started 5 years ago, and now has 60,000 signatures. This shows how healthcare and politics are entwined. Do you think this is good? How important do you think politics is to healthcare?
How Important is CPR training?
The main reason for Eriksen’s survival is because his teammates, as well as trained medical staff knew exactly what to do in this situation. They were able to work efficiently as a team under dire circumstances to protect his airways and ultimately, bring him back. Do you think everyone should learn first aid and CPR? How can we encourage people to get trained?
- Why Is teamwork important in Medicine?
- What role do the public have in changing healthcare?
- Who is your role model and why?