Too few major sports arenas in Europe have adequate equipment and procedures in place to save the lives of spectators who suffer heart attacks while watching a sporting event, according to new research published in the European Heart Journal.

In a study of 187 top sports arenas in ten European countries, used by 190 elite football clubs, more than a quarter did not have automated external defibrillators on site.

Even more did not have medical action plans or basic or advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training programmes.

Mats Borjesson, associate professor of cardiology at Sahlgrenska Academy in Gothenburg said: “Our study shows that many of these sports arenas are not adequately prepared to deal effectively with heart attacks among the spectators.”

He went on “As football is the biggest and best-resourced sport in Europe, the situation may be even worse at venues for other types of sports.”

Source: Medical News Today