Two-time world cyclo-cross champion Niels Albert has had an operation to fit an internal defibrillator to respond to the abnormal heart rhythms that forced him to retire from racing in 2014 at the age of 28.
Now aged 31, the Belgian was admitted to hospital in Bruges at the weekend due to continuing issues with cardiac arrhythmias, with the decision taken to implant the internal defibrillator, reports Sporza.
According to the British Heart Foundation, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) “can give your heart electric pulses or shocks to get your heart rhythm back to normal.
“The ICD is inserted just under your collar bone. It looks similar to a pacemaker and is a little bigger than a matchbox.
“It is made up of a pulse generator – a battery powered electronic circuit – [and] one or more electrode leads which are placed into your heart through a vein.
Albert, winner of the world cyclo-cross championships in 2009 and 2012 and a double world cup champion, is now manager of the Crelan-Charles team whose roster includes current world champion Wout van Aert.
Speaking about his operation at a press conference at the team’s launch for 2017/18, Albert said: “I am very shocked, but I wanted security so went ahead with it.”
He said that his health issues meant he would be unable to accompany the team to the opening two rounds of the World Cup in Iowa City and Waterloo, Wisconsin.
He added: “The defibrillator now provides a lot of reassurance for me and the people around me.
“Now my girlfriend can fall asleep safely next to me.”
17 thoughts on “Double cyclo-cross world champion Niels Albert has defibrilator implanted to tackle heart problems”
They’re awesome bits of kit.
They’re awesome bits of kit. Latest ones do wireless telemetry and diagnostic downloads. Not sure if there’s a Strava plugin
kil0ran wrote:
That’s old hat. Mine was put in 5 years ago (they only last about 7 years)The best feature is that it “phones home” to the cardiac dept at my local hospital if anything untoward happens to my heart.
You feel like a formula 1 car when they do a data download. They used to print it out on paper and it was 10’s of feet long with graphs etc.
Great comfort to know should the worst happen (again) and you have a cardiac arrest you are covered and if you are worried you can have a cardiologist check you out at the touch of a button from your home.
Only drawback is that you can’t put a phone in your breast pocket or use it in your left ear. And a minor operation every seven years to replace it.
Hope it isn’t hackable! Do
Hope it isn’t hackable! Do these things have to download updates?
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:
They can do firmware updates but not remotely as far as I know. The old man’s dials back automatically (wireless receiver next to telephone) once a week and he goes in for a device check every 3-6 months. They stick a wireless receiver on his chest wall, no operation necessary.
A couple of times it has detected an episode without him knowing and he’s had a call from the clinic to go in and get checked out. Truly amazing, life-changing technology. Without it he would have been gone ten years ago and not seen his three grandchildren. He’s basically Ironman without the weapons – titanium ankle, plates in both legs, articulated external knee braces, and the ICD.
Was a decent time trialler in his day with a serious N+1 addiction.
As to hacking, its a growth area. Medical devices are very insecure, they don’t have the processing power for decent encryption. You probably could, in theory, hack it so it fired constantly which would likely kill the patient.
kil0ran wrote:
They can do firmware updates but not remotely as far as I know. The old man’s dials back automatically (wireless receiver next to telephone) once a week and he goes in for a device check every 3-6 months. They stick a wireless receiver on his chest wall, no operation necessary.
A couple of times it has detected an episode without him knowing— FluffyKittenofTindalos
Speaking of ‘episodes’ and hacking someone’s defibrillator… Wasn’t that in Homeland or something?
davel wrote:
They can do firmware updates but not remotely as far as I know. The old man’s dials back automatically (wireless receiver next to telephone) once a week and he goes in for a device check every 3-6 months. They stick a wireless receiver on his chest wall, no operation necessary.
A couple of times it has detected an episode without him knowing— kil0ran Speaking of ‘episodes’ and hacking someone’s defibrillator… Wasn’t that in Homeland or something?— FluffyKittenofTindalos
Yep, the St Jude Medical ones are vulnerable – there’s been a practical demonstration of an exploit that can cause the device to deliver shocks when not needed.
Niels – best sandrider of his
Niels – best sandrider of his generation and the only guy to consistently put the wind up Sven between his WC wins in 2009 and 2012 and so from a fan’s perspective the fact that he had to cut his career short was a massive loss. Long live King Albert!
Yeah. I had a ICD fitted six
Yeah. I had a ICD fitted six months ago. I had two separate episodes of sustained VT both when I was out on the bike. Thanks to Lancaster Royal Infirmary A & E I am still alive after being cardioverted just in the nick of time on both occasions.
Various cardiomyopathies can cause arrhythmias and they are often hereditary and life threatening so if you have a blood relative with one of these conditions you need to be checked out on a regular basis.
Another real bugger is that if the ICD fires off it is an automatic six month driving ban. Not being able to cycle is bad enough, but not being able to drive as well is a real pain in the arse !
Batchy wrote:
Really? My Dad wasn’t allowed to drive for 6 months after the episodes that led to him having it fitted (6 cardiac arrests, two of which were outside hospital, one of which was for c. 8 minutes) but he’s not been told to stop driving since – I think he’s had 2 or 3 activations in ten years. Of those he’s only actually felt one of them.
Think he’s got a checkup in a couple of days I’ll ask him to check.
kil0ran wrote:
Your dad is supposed to report all incidents regarding his ICD kicking in. If it has fired off for non medical reasons then he will be probably ok to drive. If not and the ICD intervened because he was having some sort of arrhythmia then his license will be revoked. Failure to report such an incident can result in a £1000 fine .
Like I tried to indicate before, the majority of cardiomyopathies are due to genetic mutations that can be passed on especially on the male line. It is therefore important that siblings and offspring get checked out as there can be a 50% chance of inheriting a condition. One condition that is particularly affected by vigorous exercise is ARVC ( arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy) this is the one that affects me. Fortunately my cardiomyopathy did not show up until I was 68 but ARVC has been regularly taking out young sportsman in their 20s and 30s so be warned !
Had one for 10 years since
Had one for 10 years since cardiac arrest playing badminton. A real bitch because I was winning at the time and subsequently told by the leisure centre that I was barred. That aside I climbed El Teide solo last year, only possible because ICD was there just in case, truly liberating piece of kit. Also finding some of the new heart drugs available 10 years on have boosted my strava times, is Entresto the new EPO? Has anyone else tried using a major illness as an excuse for doping I wonder?
I was told 6 months after
I was told 6 months after each shock as well and this seems to agree:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/cardiovascular-disorders-assessing-fitness-to-drive
ooldbaker wrote:
Thanks – he’s not had one for several years but looks like he’ll need to stop if he does have one (VF with incapacity criteria)
Mum will be delighted 🙂
“I am very shocked” – sorry,
“I am very shocked” – sorry, but that made me laugh. And yes, I’ve had AF, so I know what it’s all about.
The best thing about having
The best thing about having an ICD is that when my colleagues start trying to out-do eachother with their medical conditions is knowing that I can beat them hands down!
Welsh boy wrote:
Hi Welsh boy. Assuming that you have an ICD implant how does this affect your sporting activities? I ask this purely as a fact finding exercise. For example how hard can you cycle with out any adverse effects re your ICD ? Has your ICD fired off whilst you were cycling and did this lead to a spill or crash and if so were you able to control the bike safely?
Fortunately my ICD has not intervened whilst doing normal activities. However my cardiologist has indicated that I may be able to cycle again all be it very gently and slowly. The new Orbea Gain e-bike featured on Road CC last week looks awesome at least for someone in my situation, despite the slating that the shaved legs brigade gave it !
Batchy wrote:
Depends on the severity of your condition. ICDs are implanted for a range of conditions and some folks will be at greater risk than others. I gradually stepped up the effort but was ready to stop if I got any -ve symptoms, rapid heart beat, chest pain, lightheadedness etc. and seek advice. ICDs are great for reassurance but they aren’t infallible, you may also hit the deck before it kicks in, so be careful out there.