Luton Town Captain Tom Lockyer Released from Hospital Following Premier League Game Cardiac Arrest
Premier League club Luton Town's captain, Tom Lockyer, has recovered and been released from the hospital following a cardiac arrest during their recent match against Bournemouth
Luton Town's Premier League club captain, Tom Lockyer, has been released from the hospital following a cardiac arrest during the weekend's match against Bournemouth. The incident occurred in the 59th minute of Saturday's game, leading to Lockyer's hospitalization and subsequent abandonment of the match, which was tied at 1-1.
Luton expressed gratitude for the news that their captain, Tom Lockyer, has been discharged from the hospital and has started rehabilitation at home. This positive development comes after a successful procedure where Tom had an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) device fitted to prevent a recurrence of the previous incident.
This is the second time in the last seven months that Lockyer has collapsed on the field.
During the play-off final against Coventry in May, Lockyer experienced an atrial fibrillation and collapsed in the 11th minute. Following surgery, the 29-year-old has been given the all-clear to play again after Luton secured promotion to the Premier League.
Luton Town manager Rob Edwards on the pitch as his player Tom Lockyer receives treatment during an away match against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on December 16.
Luton's statement added that the Club and Tom have followed clinical advice from top cardiologists at every stage since the Championship play-off final, supported by a team of multidisciplinary consultants.
The test results from this week have confirmed that the issue Tom faced on Saturday was unrelated to the atrial fibrillation he had in May. The Premier League has announced that the abandoned match will be replayed in full, but the date for the game has not been confirmed yet.
Lockyer received treatment on the field before being removed on a stretcher. The match was temporarily stopped as players also exited the field. After the game was officially canceled, both teams returned to the pitch, walking around and showing appreciation to the fans who were chanting the name of the Luton captain.
The Club, Tom and the Lockyer family want to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at Bournemouth, including their fans, club officials, and particularly their medical staff and midfielder Philip Billing. Luton's statement went on to say that with the support of Bournemouth's medical team and local paramedics, it was the protocols and the professional actions of our own medical staff that ultimately gave Tom the opportunity to recover, for which we are incredibly grateful.
Tom Lockyer leaves the pitch on a stretcher after collapsing during May's play-off final.
Adam Davy/PA Images/Getty Images
"We are immensely proud to have Locks as our captain, and we know that his leadership will carry on from the sidelines. His bravery will serve as an inspiration to his teammates, colleagues, and supporters, beginning this Saturday."
Luton welcomes Newcastle United to Kenilworth Road for Saturdays Premier League match.
CNNs Issy Ronald and George Ramsay contributed to this report.
