LOCKYER GETS DEVICE FITTED
Luton captain Tom Lockyer has been discharged from hospital following a successful procedure to fit an Implantable
Cardioverter
Defibrillator (ICD).
Lockyer collapsed in the 59th minute of Saturday’s Premier League match against Bournemouth after he suffered a cardiac arrest, which resulted in the game being abandoned.
Luton said the 29-year-old Lockyer has now begun a period of rehabilitation at his own home in the wake of the incident, which they also said was unrelated to his previous collapse in the play-off final in May.
The club said in a statement:
“We are thankful to report that our captain Tom Lockyer has now begun a period of rehabilitation from the comfort of his own home after he was discharged from hospital on Wednesday.
Device
“This encouraging news follows a successful procedure that took place on Tuesday whereby Tom had an
ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) device fitted to prevent a repeat of Saturday’s incident.
“The club, Tom and the Lockyer family would like to take this opportunity to repeat our collective heartfelt thanks to all at Bournemouth, their supporters, club officials and especially their medical staff and midfielder Philip Billing, who was the first to reach Tom on the pitch and summon assistance.”
Concerns for
Lockyer’s health had been heightened given the previous incident, during the play-off final victory over Coventry, following which Lockyer underwent surgery to correct an atrial fibrillation.
He subsequently returned to action for the start of the new season and had made 15 appearances in all competitions before Saturday’s match.
But Luton’s statement continued:
“The clinical advice Tom and the club has taken since the Championship play-off final has been conducted by the most renowned cardiologists, who have been involved at every step, along with a team of supporting multi-disciplinary consultants.
“We can now confirm that the tests taken this week had revealed that the issue Tom experienced on Saturday was different to the atrial fibrillation he suffered in May.”
Bournemouth have also expressed their support for Lockyer (below) in a post on their social media accounts, responding:
“We couldn’t be happier to hear this news.
“We’re wishing Tom well for his continued recovery.”
The Premier League announced on Wednesday that the match will be replayed in full on a date yet to be confirmed.