Key result
Senegalese professional football clubs show major sudden cardiac arrest preparedness gaps, with ~90% lacking AED availability.
Why the study?
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading medical cause of death in athletes during sport and survival depends on immediate CPR and early defibrillation, yet data on emergency preparedness in African professional football remain scarce.
Cross-Sectional (n=43)
Yes
Despite high awareness of sudden cardiac arrest risk among Senegalese professional football coaches, medical staff, and players, operational readiness is critically weak, characterized by a near-total absence of automated external defibrillators, low CPR training rates, and limited pre-participation ECG screening.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Critical AED and CPR training gaps in Senegalese clubs signal urgent preparedness shortfalls; leaves open optimal implementation strategies for SCA prevention in low-resource athletic settings.
Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is the leading medical cause of death in athletes during sport. In football, survival depends largely on immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation, yet data on emergency preparedness in African professional football remain scarce. This study aimed to assess knowledge, preventive measures and preparedness for SCA management among coaches, medical staff and players of Senegalese Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 clubs. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in ten clubs (five Ligue 1, five Ligue 2) during the 2024–2025 season. Group-specific structured questionnaires were completed by 10 coaches, 3 medical staff members and 30 players, and covered risk perception, knowledge, pre-participation screening, CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) training, and AED availability. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics. Most coaches (80%) knew of SCA cases in football, but only 20% had been trained to recognise and manage SCA, none were regularly re-tested on emergency protocols, and 50% reported no preventive measures in their club. Nine of ten coaches and two of three medical staff members reported that an AED was never available during training or matches. Among players, 96.4% reported being aware of SCA risk, yet only 35.7% could identify its main risk factors, 25.9% had received first-aid/AED training and 22.2% reported pre-participation electrocardiogram (ECG) screening in their club. Support for regular cardiac screening was almost unanimous in all groups. Awareness of SCA in Senegalese professional football contrasts with weak operational readiness. Mandatory pre-participation cardiovascular screening, regular CPR/AED training for all stakeholders, and an AED with a rehearsed emergency action plan at every stadium and training ground should be prioritised.
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Ba et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Sudden cardiac arrest preparedness in professional football (n=43). Sudden cardiac arrest awareness, training, and AED preparedness was evaluated on Knowledge, preventive measures, and operational preparedness for sudden cardiac arrest management (including AED availability and CPR/AED training). In Senegalese professional football clubs, 90% of coaches reported no AED availability, and only 20% of coaches and 25.9% of players had CPR/AED training despite high SCA awareness.
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