- Written by Brian Farmer,
- BBC News, Bedfordshire
image source, Getty Images
Tom Lockyer suffers cardiac arrest and collapses on the pitch
A record number of people researched CPR after a soccer player spoke out about collapsing during a match, a health charity has announced.
In a media interview earlier this week, Luton Town’s Tom Lockyer urged people to visit the British Heart Foundation (BHF) website to learn CPR.
The BHF said its staff were “shocked” by the response.
One manager said “unprecedented numbers” were looking for online CPR “tools.”
Luton’s Tom Lockyer shows off the internal defibrillator he has had since cardiac arrest
The Wales player told how he was “technically dead” for two minutes and 40 seconds before being revived by doctors.
BHF Health Partnerships and Community Resuscitation program manager Lizzie Moscardini said. BBC.
“We are also very grateful to him for encouraging people to learn CPR. [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] We use our online tool, ReviR, and people are visiting our website in unprecedented numbers looking for this tool. ”
“We would like to thank Tom for helping us raise awareness of learning this important skill. By speaking out, we are grateful to Tom for helping us save lives and improve survival rates. I hope.”
image source, Getty Images
Lockyer’s defibrillator can detect irregular heartbeats and restart the heart.
Lockyer said he would put his family first before deciding on a potential return following a health scare.
The thought of leaving his pregnant girlfriend alone to raise a child was “heartbreaking,” he said.
Mr Lockyer said he was “eternally grateful” to the medical staff who quickly arrived to save him.
He has an implantable defibrillator, designed to instantly restart his heart if something similar happens.