LONDON - The medical team treating Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba can breathe a sigh of relief. The development of Muamba's health recovery continues to lead to a positive graph. Muamba is said to have been able to communicate with the people around him, Wednesday (21/3) local time.
The cardiologist who treats Muamba, Sam Mohiddin, said there was very little hope of seeing Muamba recover soon. However, he also revealed that the progress of Muamba's recovery had been extraordinary, considering that the 23-year-old's heart had stopped for 78 minutes.
The positive news also provides certainty to Bolton regarding the next match in the Premier League. The home game against Blackburn Rovers at Reebok Stadium will continue. In addition, the follow-up match against Tottenham Hotspurs in the quarter-finals of the A Cup which was stopped in the 41st minute will also be continued on Tuesday (27/3).
"Fabrice continues to show positive signals and he has not only exceeded our expectations, but also our expectations. Keep in mind, this is still too early, because the recovery period is still long," said Mohiddin.
The match medics and Bolton went to great lengths to provide first aid to Muamba as soon as he fell in the middle of the pitch. Muamba was rushed to the London Chest Hopital moments later. More serious treatment was carried out at the hospital to save Muamba's life.
Several facts were revealed by Bolton's team doctor, Jonathan Tobin, regarding the tense incident last weekend. He admitted to working hard for 48 minutes before reaching the hospital. Arriving at the hospital, after 30 minutes of treatment, Muamba was still unconscious and there were no signs of activity in Muamba's heart. In total, Muamba's heart stopped for 78 minutes.
"Effectively he was dead by then. Fabrice is the type of heart disease patient where his heart shows a lot of electrical activity but no muscle activity. Sometimes it reacts with drugs or shock therapy," Tobin said.
"Now it's known why, but, in total, Fabrice received 15 shock treatments. He got another 12 in the ambulance."
Regarding the midfielder's recent condition, Tobin said that now Muamba has shown positive indications towards recovery. "I visited him last night. When I came he said "Hi, Doc". I asked how he was and he said he was "good"," Tobin
"I explained to him what happened, that's the communication I had with Fabrice. We were afraid something bad would happen and haven't thought about the recovery he's going through. It's incredible," Tobin explained.
The more happy news was delivered by former France captain Thierry Henry. Henry came directly from the United States (US) to get the opportunity to accompany Muamba for about an hour. "Fabrice is in stable condition and can speak perfectly," said Henry.
LONDON - Tim medis yang menangani gelandang Bolton Wanderers Fabrice Muamba bisa menarik napas lega. Perkembangan pemulihan kesehatan Muamba terus mengarah pada grafik positif. Muamba disebutkan sudah mampu berkomunikasi dengan orang-orang di sekitarnya, Rabu (21/3) waktu setempat.
Ahli kardiologi yang menangani Muamba, Sam Mohiddin menegaskan, harapan untuk menyaksikan Muamba segera pulih, sangat kecil. Tapi, dia juga mengungkapkan perkembangan pemulihan kondisi Muamba sudah berlangsung luar biasa, mengingat jantung pemain 23 tahun itu sempat berhenti selama 78 menit.
Kabar positif tersebut turut memberikan kepastian pada Bolton terkait laga selanjutnya di Premier League. Laga home melawan Blackburn Rovers di Reebok Stadium tetap digelar. Selain itu, pertandingan lanjutan melawan Tottenham Hotspurs di perempat final Piala A yang terhenti di menit ke-41 juga akan dilanjutkan Selasa (27/3).
"Fabrice terus menunjukkan sinyal positif dan dia tak hanya melampaui harapan kami, tapi juga harapan kami. Perlu diingat, ini masih terlalu dini, karena masa pemulihannya masih panjang," tutur Mohiddin.
Tim medis pertandingan dan Bolton berusaha keras memberikan pertolongan pertama pada Muamba begitu dia terjatuh di tengah lapangan. Muamba segera dilarikan ke London Chest Hopital beberapa saat kemudian. Penanganan lebih serius dilakukan di rumah sakit itu untuk menyelematkan nyawa Muamba.
Beberapa fakta diungkapkan dokter tim Bolton, Jonathan Tobin terkait insiden menegangkan akhir pekan lalu itu. Dia mengakui bekerja keras selama 48 menit sebelum sampai di rumah sakit. Sesampai di rumah sakit, hingga 30 menit penanganan, Muamba belum juga sadar dan tak ada tanda-tanda aktivitas pada jantung Muamba. Total, jantung Muamba terhenti selama 78 menit.
"Secara efektif dia sudah mati saat itu. Fabrice adalah tipe penderita penyakit jantung di mana jantungnya menunjukkan banyak aktivitas elektrik tapi tanpa aktivitas otot-ototnya. Kadang itu bereaksi dengan obat-obatan atau terapi kejut," ujar Tobin.
"Sekarang sudah diketahui kenapa penyebabnya, tapi, total Fabrice mendapat 15 terapi kejut. Dia mendapat 12 lagi di ambulans," lanjutnya.
Terkait kondisi terakhir sang gelandang, Tobin menyebut kalau kini Muamba sudah menunjukkan indikasi positif ke arah pemulihan. "Saya mengunjunginya semalam. Saat saya datang dia berkata "Hai, Dok". Saya tanyakan bagaimana kabarnya dan dia bilang kalau dia "baik"," Tobin
"Saya menjelaskan kepadanya apa yang terjadi, itu komunikasi yang saya lakukan dengan Fabrice. Kami takut sesuatu yang buruk terjadi dan belum berpikir pemulihan yang dia alami. Ini luar biasa," beber Tobin.
Kabar lebih membahagiakan disampaikan oleh mantan kapten timnas Prancis Thierry Henry. Henry datang langsung dari Amerika Serikat (AS) untuk mendaatkan kesempatan mendampingi Muamba selama sekitar satu jam. "Fabrice dalam kondisi stabil dan bisa berbicara dengan sempurna," beber Henry.
