Quick answer: Tom Lockyer’s on-pitch cardiac arrest is a reminder that pre-season cardiac screening for athletes, while valuable, doesn’t catch every risk — cardiac arrests in athletes remain rare and exercise itself is still overwhelmingly beneficial. The single most useful thing anyone can do is learn CPR, since fast resuscitation is what actually saves lives in these situations.
Originally written in December 2023.
I had a number of texts from people yesterday asking if I was on call, and if so, was I looking after Luton football club captain Tom Lockyer. I was not, but given the fairly extraordinary events I thought instead of my research blog this week I would cover this story.
Firstly, I have no ‘inside information’ over and above what has been made publicly available, and of course his right to confidentiality and privacy at this difficult time is paramount.
For those who may have missed it, Tom Lockyer collapsed off the ball yesterday whilst his side Luton town were playing away at Bournemouth. It is reported that he had a cardiac arrest, but thankfully was resuscitated quickly, and taken to Bournemouth hospital where he was conscious, and will undergo further tests.
What does cardiac screening for athletes actually check?
A similar incident befell him earlier in the year in the Championship playoff final, which was put down to atrial fibrillation and he subsequently underwent an ablation procedure. Atrial fibrillation would not normally cause a cardiac arrest so this is unusual. Premiership footballers also undergo heart screening to try and pick up abnormalities, but as we have seen over the years the pick up rate is not 100%. Typically, the sorts of things that can be picked up during screening are inherited disorders such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, electrical disorders such a long QT or Brugada syndrome, coronary artery abnormalities, heart valve and aortic disease. If a problem is found, the person can be counselled regarding the risk in their particular case.
How common are cardiac arrests in athletes?
Cardiac arrests in athletes are fortunately incredibly rare, and one should certainly not be put off exercising. The risks of not exercising far eclipse the risk of a cardiac arrest. Even in athletes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy for example, the actual risk of a fatal outcome is very small.
One of my main take aways from this is that people would do well to learn how to do cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). You never know when you might need that life skill, and it could save someone’s life. If you would like to read more, click here for a link to the Resuscitation council UK’s website. Thankfully Tom will have received good quality CPR without delay, and I would hope there would be no longer lasting effects. Whether he plays professional football again is another matter, and one for the future. For now, I wish him a speedy recovery.