Fiorentina’s Edoardo Bove has defibrillator installed after collapse, according to reports
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Fiorentina players show a banner in support of their teammate Edoardo Bove after the Italia Cup match against Empoli.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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MILAN – Edoardo Bove has had a defibrillator fitted after the Fiorentina midfielder’s on-pitch cardiac arrest on Dec 1, Italian media reported.
Sky Sport and Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that the operation was carried out on the morning of Dec 10 at the Careggi hospital in Florence, where Bove has been warded since collapsing during Fiorentina’s Serie A fixture with Inter Milan on Dec 1.
The Italian top-flight match was stopped and then called off while Bove was rushed to the intensive care unit, where serious damage to the 22-year-old’s central nervous and cardio-respiratory systems was quickly ruled out.
He has been awake and undergoing tests in hospital for just over a week and is reportedly set to be discharged in the coming days after his operation.
Fiorentina later said in a statement that “the operation which Edoardo Bove underwent was successful”, without specifying the exact procedure.
“Edoardo contacted the club a few minutes ago and said that he is fine and will continue his post-operation recovery programme before being discharged from hospital in the next few days,” said the club.
If confirmed, the installation of a defibrillator would mean Bove’s football career in Italy is at risk due to stringent health regulations which govern sport in the country.
The Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), a type of pacemaker that can prevent fatal cardiac arrest by delivering a shock to restore a normal heart rhythm, is not permitted in Serie A.
Christian Eriksen had to leave Inter in 2021 in the wake of his cardiac arrest and collapse while playing for Denmark at that year’s European Championship. The midfielder was banned from playing in Italian football after having ICD fitted.
He later joined English Premier League club Brentford after Inter terminated his contract. The 32-year-old now plays for Manchester United and still represents his country.
Italian reports, however, have also said that the ICD is removable, meaning that it will be down to Bove, on a season-long loan from AS Roma, and his medical team to decide if they want to keep it in his body permanently or remove it at a later date. AFP, REUTERS
