Heart death in amateur football: take warning signals seriously and act!

Heart death in amateur football: take warning signals seriously and act!

In the past seven weeks in Brandenburg amateur football, two tragic incidents of a sudden heart death have caused a stir in the past seven weeks. On March 8, 2025, 26-year-old Lucas Albrecht collapsed during a game. Thanks to the quick actions of the referee assistant and the assistant coach, his life was saved. However, 36-year-old Ronny Kessel suffered during a goal celebration on April 26, 2025 and died on the way to the hospital despite immediate resuscitation attempts.
according to RBB24 (Or) and Mildenberg a life -saving defibrillator, which could have been decisive in both cases.

Sudden heart death is one of the most common causes of death in the western world. Around 70,000 people are affected in Germany alone. Risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and tobacco consumption increase the risk, especially in men. resq-care indicates 70-80% of the cases to coronary heart disease are that often remain undetected until it is too late. In such cases, chamber flickers, a serious disorder of the heart rhythm, leads to a standstill of the cardiovascular system.

In the event of cardiac arrest, quick reactions are of crucial importance. First, the symptoms should be recognized and the emergency call should be discontinued, followed by lay resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED). Cardiologist Bayreuth explains that the survival rate is only about 10% after a sudden cardiac death, if not immediate resuscitation measures are taken. The importance of these measures by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Hindricks emphasized that regular training for sudden deaths significantly increase the probability of survival.

The training of first aiders and the availability of defibrillators are of great importance for the Brandenburg (FLB) football association. In the 2023/24 season, 38,770 games were registered, but only twelve medical emergencies were recorded. According to estimates, however, only 10-20% of the Brandenburg sports facilities are equipped with a defibrillator. In response to the tragic incidents, SV Grün-Weiß Lübben is planning a day of action for training trainers in first aid and in dealing with AED devices.

Finally, Prof. Dr. Hindricks the need for screenings by EKG and heart ultrasound to identify people with structural heart disease before a critical incident occurs. Warning symptoms such as rapid heartbeat, dizziness or unconsciousness should always be taken seriously. The sudden cardiac death remains an unpredictable danger that requires a healthy lifestyle, regular check -ups and a rapid reaction in an emergency.