Heart expert explains Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer's collapse on the pitch - and what happens next

• Andy Ward reports on Luton Town captain Tom Lockyer's collapse for ITV News Anglia.

Luton Town's captain became the latest footballer to suffer a cardiac arrest on the pitch this weekend, after collapsing during the match against Bournemouth on Saturday.

It was the second time 29-year-old Tom Lockyer had collapsed during a game, and he'd previously received treatment for another heart condition - atrial defibrillation.

ITV News Anglia spoke to Dr David Begley, a consultant cardiologist and specialist in cardiac rhythm management at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, for more context on heart conditions and cardiac arrest.

Lockyer is far from the first footballer to have brought the issue to mainstream attention.

In 2021, Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest shortly before half-time during the nation's European Championship opening game against Finland.

In March 2012, Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba experienced cardiac arrest during a FA cup match against Tottenham. His heart stopped beating for 78 minutes but his life was saved. Following medical advice, he announced his retirement from professional football in August 2012.

In January 2004, Benfica striker Miklos Feher died after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing against Vitoria Guimaraes.

What is cardiac arrest and why is it so dangerous?

Dr David Begley: Cardiac arrest is basically an electrical instability in the heart that stops it from pumping and if it is not recovered quickly, it is fatal.

Steps taken immediately would be to manually keep the blood pumping by giving compressions to the chest but the only way to correct it is to shock the heart electrically using a defibrillator.

And these are present now in a lot of public places.

How is it different from a heart attack?

The terms get confused a lot, but a heart attack is a blockage to the arteries that are supplying blood to the heart muscle.

When that isn't corrected quickly enough, it can lead to damage to the muscle which can lead to electrical instability and then cardiac arrest in quite a large number of cases.

So Tom Lockyer was fortunate in that this happened when he was in a public place with lots of support around him?

Yes. There have been a number of these cases and people in most public places will now have access to defibrillators and people are more aware now of the need to immediate attempts at resuscitation.

In the cases where that support is not there, then the chances of survival are not good.

Lockyer was previously treated for atrial fibrillation (AF) after collapsing on the pitch back in May. What is that?

Atrial fibrillation would not normally be associated with cardiac arrest. It is another electrical instability of the heart, but it affects the top chambers of the heart resulting in a rapid heart rate that can be uncomfortable, but is completely survivable.

• Dr David Begley spoke to ITV News Anglia's Claire McGlasson

And so - without having all the information on Tom Lockyer - a pre-existing case of atrial fibrillation would not cause or be linked to cardiac arrest?

Absolutely not, no.

Would it have been advisable in your opinion for a patient who had recently been treated for atrial fibrillation to return to sport at a professional level?

It depends on a number of factors, including confidence in the treatment he had had for his AF, and I don't know what he had.

AF is a very common condition that does get more likely as you get older - about 15% of people in their 80s will have some kind of AF.

But there is also a very small subset of extreme athletes that have a slightly increased risk of AF as well.

But often, with good treatment, they can continue participating in sport.

We know that football clubs do screen for heart conditions - what can you tell us about those screenings and how common is it for things to be missed?

Screening has become more rigorous as the years go past, as these cases are so high-profile. Screening consists of physical examination, to check there are no physical manifestations of disease, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) test that records the electrical activity of your heart.

That gives us a lot of insight into the heart.

And then an ultrasound scan also, which means you can have a look at the heart and ensure it is structurally normal as well.

But it is not always possible to determine from that if someone is at risk of cardiac arrest, not in every case.

If someone is told that they may be more at risk, what should they do?

There are a number of measures that can be taken and it's hard to generalise because there is such a wide range of conditions that could make someone more at risk.

In some cases, medication is all that they will need; in others, they may need to avoid situations that might put them at risk, which could sometimes include some forms of exercise.

And for people that are at sufficient risk, we can implant a defibrillator device - a bit like a pacemaker - that can treat them if the worst happens and they do have a cardiac arrest.

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