Muamba sparks heart screening surge

The company employed by the GPA to cardiac screen all inter-county hurling and football squads in the country, has revealed they have been overwhelmed by enquiries about the services they offer in the wake of Bolton Wanderers player Fabrice Muamba collapsing in White Hart Lane last weekend.

Ed Donovan, the founder of Heartaid, was carrying out heart testing with the London senior hurling and football panels, when the incident happened and has received a multitude of calls from clubs interested in taking up the service.

“We have been inundated with phone calls and emails from clubs around the country since the incident last Saturday. The unfortunate thing is that it takes something like this to raise awareness but that’s the reality of the situation. It was very sad to see but at the same time I thought it was great to see the brilliant reaction of the medical staff present.

“Approximately two young people die from SADS [Sudden Adult Death Syndrome] in Ireland every week but unfortunately it doesn’t always get reported on because some of them are not very high profile. I hope this helps to raise awareness and will ensure that people get trained more in CPR and the use of defibrillators.”

The cost for an individual in getting tested by Heartaid has been described by Donovan as comparable to “the price of a good pair of sneakers”. For groups or club teams who seek to get tested, Heartaid offer discounted rates. The company provides mobile cardiac screening to schools, clubs and organisations involved in sport, with the target to reduce the number of incidents of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome in the country.

* Tomorrow’s Irish Examiner looks at what is really involved in a cardiac screening test.