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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sports Med Int Open 2024; 08
DOI: 10.1055/a-2196-9348
Training & Testing

FIFA Initiatives Improved Survival After Loss of Consciousness During Football Games

Sotirios Katsigiannis 
1   Neurosurgery, Knappschaftskrankenhaus University Hospital, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
,
Nader Maai
2   Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Bergmannsheil University Hospital, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
,
Polykarpos Patsalis
3   Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Knappschaftskrankenhaus University Hospital, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
4   Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Bergmannsheil University Hospital, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany, Bochum, Germany
,
Sergiu Groppa
5   Department of Neurology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
,
Konstantinos Gousias
6   Department of Neurosurgery, St. Marien Hospital, Luenen, Germany
,
Bogdan Pintea
7   Department of Neurosurgery, Bergmannsheil University Hospital, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany
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Abstract

Loss of consciousness (LOC) during football games is associated with very high mortality rates. In order to address football medical emergencies, in 2013 FIFA implemented the “FIFA 11 steps to prevent sudden cardiac death” program and distributed the FIFA Medical Emergency Bag. The purpose of this work was to identify independent survival factors after LOC on the pitch and to investigate the effectiveness of the FIFA initiatives. An internet search was performed to identify football players suffering LOC on the pitch between 1990 and 2021. A total of 268 cases could be identified and were dichotomized according to the implementation date of the FIFA medical emergency bag. There was 55% mortality after LOC, while cardiogenic LOC was more often (82% vs. 20%) fatal than traumatic LOC. Mortality in developing countries was higher than in developed countries. From the year 2013 survival improved significantly for both traumatic and cardiogenic cases. The location of the LOC significantly influenced survival (OR: 0.20 and p<0.001). LOC on the football field is associated with increased mortality and requires separate monitoring based on a traumatic vs. non-traumatic cause. FIFA initiatives significantly reduced mortality after LOC but significant differences were identified between developed and developing countries.

Keywords

loss of consciousness - football - FIFA medical emergency bag - FIFA 11 program - trauma - sudden cardiac death


Publication History

Received: 25 June 2023
Received: 04 October 2023

Accepted: 12 October 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
23 October 2023

Article published online:
22 March 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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Bibliographical Record
Sotirios Katsigiannis, Nader Maai, Polykarpos Patsalis, Sergiu Groppa, Konstantinos Gousias, Bogdan Pintea. FIFA Initiatives Improved Survival After Loss of Consciousness During Football Games. Sports Med Int Open 2024; 08.
DOI: 10.1055/a-2196-9348