Soccer player Anthony Van Loo survives Sudden Death (not a heart attack). (ANNOTATED)

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Anthony Van Loo, a 20-year old soccer player (Roeselare Belgian first division) collapses during a match and is brought back to life by his Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). The device delivers a shock to restore his heart rhythm.

Most of the press has been reporting this as a heart attack. But this is not accurate. Instead of a heart attack, Van Loo must have suffered an arrhythmia, an electrical malfunction of the heart (like Ventricular Tachycardia or Ventricular Fibrillation). Ventricular Fibrillation is very dangerous and will lead to cardiac arrest.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest is an abrupt loss of heart function that affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. and is the leading cause of death in competitive athletes.

Van Loo is known to suffer from an unspecified heart condition that makes him susceptible to life-threatening arrhythmias. He's been allowed to return to playing soccer after the implantation of an ICD.

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Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• ICD
• Defibrillator
• Sudden Cardiac Arrest
• SCA
• Sudden
• Death Anthony
• van
• Loo
• Roeselare
• hartaanval
• Heart
• Attack
• Cardiac
• Arrest
• Antwerp
• Jupiler
• League

[1993soad]

well, if it is a sudden DEATH, then i supose, ... he's dead, no on can survive.. death...

[hugooc]

@1993soad You're technically correct. This is only a term commonly used to indicate SCA, or sudden cardiac arrest.

[Allcodvids]

Might b stupid question but whats a icd ?

[hugooc]

@Allcodvids An ICD is an Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator. It's placed under the skin to prevent the heart from developing a deadly rhythm. Some people's hearts can do that sometimes.

[Tribune12345]

@mindygrahamkrauth Not a miracle. A product of modern science.

[CoffeeandSax]

Situations like this is what has driven me to the dream of working with in an athletic heart clinic and traveling to check if athletes hearts are able enough for sports. To detect a problem before something like this happens. Even if I prevented one of these situations..saved one life..i feel like my purpose in life would be fulfilled.

[martonvarhegyi]

@jakekm1

This is not a heart attack (myocardial infarction). It is caused by malignant arrhytmias (usually ventricular fibrillation) with an extremely high heart frequency without effective contraction and pulse.

[jakekm1]

you do realise this is a very rare disease thousands of people have it they could be the most healthiest peron on earth and just die from a random heart attack

[glenn1045]

@1993soad : jes they can. i was dead and came back to live, now i have an ICD and when my heart stopped i will come alive with a shock!!

[Cpillin425]

so this is back when he didn't have the icd?

[PoetButAcriminal]

@Tribune12345 To me, it's a miracle that we've progressed so far. Far enough to save a life in eight seconds... It's amazing he's alive.

[hitcan79]

@andie361 holy shit man that's crazy! sorry to hear that