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_{But will we ever have the situation where a defibrillator will be present at every game (and obviously with an operator on standby)?}


I genuinely believe we will be in the situation, not too far in the future, when there will be defibrillators on standby at all competitive games, and where there will be proper screening procedures at various levels.

Every club or group that has a defibrillator is required to have several people trained in their use, so the answer is yes.

All of this could be speeded up dramatically if people in positions of power did more. It is a disgrace in this day and age that defibrillators are subject to VAT. I know there many be rules to say that you cannot take VAT off such items, but the government, with the huge financial boom, could easily offset the cost involved. In fact, with the election coming up, it should be given some pointed suggestions about doing this.

The other big problem is lack of information. It is shocking how little the government and the medical profession collectively do to raise awareness. The only way this issue returns to the top of the news is when we hear, every month or two, of some poor unfortunate person dying suddenly.

I think that the government, and even a lot of GPs, are reluctant to emphasise the issue to raise awareness, because they realise that the logical end of this would be more work for them.

But people no longer accept the 'head in the sand' approach to medicine, and because of this it is inevitable that positive changes will take place...the question is why should we have to wait so long?

Three points Bogball:

1 - The government set up a taskforce which launched a report this year amid much fanfare. It has given recommendations to sports organisations among others, but it hasn't actually done much to tackle the issue, like investing money.

2 - It is very likely that a defibrillator pitch-side or at the clubrooms would have saved Fran Leonard RIP - this is one obvious solution.

3 - Screening is the other obvious solution, and the GAA appears to be starting with county players next year - again, the obvious place to start.

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about this issue but the above are facts.

Another tragedy. May he rest in peace.

The association is going to have to speed up the provision of defibrillators, as well as bringing in screening as it appears to be about to do to some extent.

It is my understanding that Cormac McAnallen died not from a virus but rather from Long QT Syndrome, a genetic condition which would probably have been detected by screening.

Good post Down22, you're well read about the subject and the shortcomings of screening for some people, but I think you've already answered the riddle you pose.

The only way we are going to get more information on these conditions is by doing more screening. Otherwise we keep our heads in the sand and just watch young people die suddenly forever more. We don't say, cancer is a difficult condition, so we shouldn't really do anything - that's why we spend millions on researching for a cure for it. Ditto AIDS, SARS, Bird Flu, meningitis.

The facts are that the Italians, by doing lots of screening, are cutting the number of deaths. Few medical procedures are ever simple or perfect, but we must follow best practice.

Like PhP, I lost a good friend to one of these heart defects and I am amazed that people can say, "it's too difficult, let's not bother".

I think the word "mandatory" is a bit misleading here. Whatever happens, I don't think that the GAA is going to be 'forcing' people to get screened. As "the gael" has pointed out so eloquently, Gaelic games are something players choose to play. No-one is depending on Gaelic games for a livelihood.

So people should put it in context - if 20 players out of 2000 were to have to consider giving up their amateur game, isn't that better than one of them dropping dead on Croke Park some day? And if, God forbid, that ever happens, imagine what the reaction would be. The country would beat lumps out of the GAA over it, saying they can't say they weren't warned and couldn't they have spent some of their millions to stop it happening.

So at least every inter-county senior team, considering the amount of pressure they put their bodies through, should be screened, with individuals having the right to opt out.

If the national Taskforce on Sudden Death recommended screening for all inter-county players, aren't they the experts, and shouldn't their word be crucial here?

I

Hard to argue with that!