Bove from collapse to hospital in 13 minutes: how doctors saved his life | OneFootball

Giovanni Ghini, President of the team that treated Edoardo Bove on Sunday, explains how doctors saved the midfielder’s life, taking him to the hospital in just 13 minutes.

Bove is currently at the Careggi Hospital in Florence, where he is undergoing medical checks after collapsing during a Serie A match between Fiorentina and Inter on Sunday.

Giovanni Ghini, President of Fratellanza Militare, the voluntary association dealing with emergency health on Sunday, explained how his team dealt with the incident.

“Everyone was shaken and nervous around us, but we worked calmly; we knew what to do,” he told Repubblica.

Bove from collapse to hospital in 13 minutes: how doctors saved his life

FLORENCE, ITALY – DECEMBER 1: Danilo Cataldi of ACF Fiorentina and Federico Dimarco of FC Internazionale reaction after the serious injury of Edoardo Bove of ACF Fiorentina who was taken to hospital by ambulance during the Serie A match between Fiorentina and FC Internazionale at Stadio Artemio Franchi on December 1, 2024 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

“In these situations, we must not be carried away by emotions. Only 30 seconds passed from the player’s collapse to our arrival.

“We had two teams at the Franchi, one with a doctor and two rescuers and another with three rescuers,” Ghini continued.

“When the doctor arrived, he assessed the player’s vital signs, state of consciousness, breathing, and heart rate. He immediately decided, alongside Fiorentina’s doctors, that it was necessary to go to the hospital right away, and after four minutes, Edoardo was already in the ambulance.”

Only 13 minutes after falling, Bove was already at Careggi, which is circa 6 km away from the stadium.

“We revived him; the semiautomatic defibrillator was activated to re-establish the appropriate heartbeat,” explained Ghini.

“The treatment continued until we arrived at the hospital. When he arrived, the doctor explained what had happened and what his team had done.”

Ghini confirmed that the ambulance could not enter the pitch to avoid bogged down and wasting precious time.

“There’s an emergency plan that prevents the ambulance from entering the pitch. In such critical situations, we must avoid any possible slowdown due to the vehicle getting bogged down,” he said.

“It’s better to take all the tools on the pitch, make the first assessments, and then take him to the ambulance.”