'In effect Fabrice Muamba was dead for 78 mins' - Doctor

Fabrice Muamba was 'effectively dead' for 78 minutes and had to be shocked 15 times before his heart restarted, a doctor revealed today.
Medics worked on the Bolton Wanderers footballer for almost an hour and a half last weekend to get it going after he suffered a cardiac arrest.




But despite being so close to death, the 23-year-old is now making a 'miraculous' recovery and joking with doctors and visitors in his hospital bed.

'God is in control': Shauna Magunda, Fabrice Muamba's fiancee, has kept a constant bedside vigil as the footballer makes a remarkable recovery from his cardiac arrest

The footballer remains in intensive care at the London Chest Hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during the first half of Bolton's FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham at White Hart Lane last Saturday.

Bolton Wanderers doctor Jonathan Tobin revealed today that medics worked on Muamba for 48 minutes between his collapse and arrival at the hospital last Saturday.

Doctors then worked on him for another 30 minutes before his heart started beating again.

'In effect, he was dead in that time,' Dr Tobin said.

He admitted he broke down in tears in the hospital corridor when the seriousness of what had happened to the player hit home - and added that he had feared the worst.

Dr Tobin, who visited Muamba last night, added that he had explained to him what happened on Saturday.

Cardiac team: Tottenham fan Dr Andrew Deaner who ran onto the pitch to help out on Saturday, Consultant Cardiologist Dr Sam Mohiddin, Tottenham team doctor Dr Shabaaz Mughal and Bolton team doctor Dr Jonathan Tobin

 
Shock: Bolton manager Owen Coyle (left) walks alongside the stretcher as medical staff attend to Fabrice Muamba. Leading the way, right, is Tottenham fan Dr Andrew Deaner, a consultant cardiologist who came down from the stands to help resuscitate the player

'I’m glad to say that the early signs of recovery have continued. I went to see Fabrice last night. I went in and he said "Hi, doc."

'I asked him how he was and he said "Fine".'

Dr Tobin said the player had asked him what had happened, adding: 'I explained to him what had happened. That’s the sort of level of communication I have had with Fabrice.'

Ever since he was rushed to hospital his family, including his fiancée Shauna Magunda, 27, and his parents, Marcel and Gertrude, have been maintaining a constant vigil.

Speaking at the hospital in Bethnal Green, east London, he told of his reaction when he first realised the player was in trouble.

Going through his head was the thought 'Oh my God, it’s Fabrice', he said.

In the wake of Muamba's collapse, Bolton cancelled last night's match against Aston Villa, but have said their game against Blackburn on Saturday will definitely go ahead.

Muamba's father has revealed the bewildered footballer asked 'did we lose?' when he came round in his bed after being put in an artificially induced coma.

When he was told the match had been abandoned with the scores at 1-1, the footballer demanded to know why. His father Marcel said: 'Because of you'.

Dreadful scenes: Bolton's manager Owen Coyle, right, looks on distraught with other players as Fabrice Muamba of Bolton Wanderers receives CPR treatment on the pitch

Muamba's very first words were about three-year-old son Joshua.

As he recovers the footballer has been visited by a host of top professionals including Chelsea's Ashley Cole, Tottenham forward Jermain Defoe and Bolton teammate Kevin Davies.

Dr Andrew Deaner, the cardiologist and Tottenham fan who leapt from his seat in the crowd and rushed on to the pitch to help Muamba, said his recovery could be described as 'miraculous'.

He said: 'If you’re going to use the term miraculous, I guess it could be used here.'

Dr Deaner went to visit the player after he had woken up and recalled that Muamba was able to make a joke even that early on into his recovery process.

'I whispered into his ear ‘What’s your name?’,' he said.
The footballer gave his name.

Dr Deaner went on: 'I said ‘I understand you’re a very good footballer’. And he said ‘I try’.'

The cardiologist said he had had tears in his eyes at witnessing that sign of the player’s sense of humour returning so soon.

He recalled how he had been watching the match with his brother when he saw Muamba collapse and doctors rush to his side.

Turning to his brother, he said: 'They’re doing CPR. I should go and help.'

His brother agreed, he said, and so the father of three sprang into action.

'Something sort of told me I should go down,' he said. 'The adrenaline starts pumping when you see a cardiac arrest.'

He added: 'Looking back, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the guys there... said ‘Go away, we don’t need anybody else’.'

But the whole response to the incident had been carried out faultlessly, he said.

'If you were going to make a film to teach people how to run a complex arrest, this would have been the arrest to film because everything went as it should,' he said.

'One thing after another just went right.'

He added: 'He’s made a remarkable recovery so far. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves...

'As things stand, I think his life is not in danger at this time. His neurological function is looking very good but it is early days.'

'We are behind you!': Barcelona players were a t-shirt in tribute to the Bolton player Fabrice Muamba before their match against Granada last night

'Get well soon Fabrice': Messages of support left on a wall at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton, for the footballer who suffered a heart attack last weekend

Pray for Muamba: Sunderland player Nicklas Bendtner wears a t-shirt in support of the young footballer before his team's match against Blackburn last night

Bolton Wanderer's Dr Tobin added that Muamba received two shocks on the pitch as medics battled to get his heart going.

Recalling the moment he arrived at the player’s side, as he lay face-down on the ground, he said: 'I can’t begin to explain the pressure that was there.


 
'As I was running on to the pitch, once I got there, my focus was entirely on Fabrice.

'I wasn’t aware that players had gathered around.'

The doctor said he failed to notice anything happening around him as he concentrated every effort on his patient.

'It wasn’t until 35,000 voices united to start singing Fabrice Muamba’s name that anything from the outside environment penetrated into that focus, but I heard them singing,' he said.

Asked how he felt giving mouth to mouth to the player - a personal friend - in front of thousands of spectators, Dr Tobin said: 'I was shocked but also from a personal point of view, this is Fabrice.

'This isn’t somebody that’s gone down in the street or been brought into A&E.

'This is somebody that I know, I know his family. This is somebody I consider a friend, this is somebody I joke with on a daily basis. There was also that... as I was running on to the pitch I was thinking "Oh my God, it’s Fabrice".'

Describing his collapse, he added: 'Fabrice was in a type of cardiac arrest where the heart is showing lots of electrical activity but no muscular activity.

'It’s something that often responds to drugs and shocks.

Consultant cardiologist Dr Sam Mohiddin, who has been caring for Muamba at the hospital, said it was 'extraordinary' for someone whose heart has stopped beating for as long as the player’s did to make the kind of progress he has made.

'Fabrice has continued to demonstrate positive signs of recovery and he has not only exceeded our expectations but also our hopes in the way he’s recovered,' he said.

'But this remains very early in what could be a lengthy recovery period.'

 

Support: Blackburn Rovers' striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi wore T-shirts with messages to Muamba during their games last night

Dr Mohiddin could not predict how long it might be before Muamba is fully recovered, saying only that he 'isn’t obeying any rules by exceeding our expectations'.
'He’s talking to us. He’s recognising family members and friends,' said Dr Mohiddin.

'There also appears to be a degree of humour in some of his responses.'
Yesterday, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini called today for twice-yearly medical screenings for Premier League players after admitting he was worried that not enough is being done to protect them.
Mancini said he was relieved to hear of Muamba's improvement, but revealed that he failed to understand how the Premier League has allowed a situation that puts the safety of players at risk.
'I was really worried on Sunday,' he said. 'Today I have read he has improved and I am very happy for him and his family.

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