Luton star Tom Lockyer shows where defibrillator is fitted in his chest and explains how the device could save his life after suffering cardiac arrest in December that left him technically dead for two minutes 40 seconds

Tom Lockyer has revealed where the implanted cardiac device (ICD) was placed in his chest after he collapsed on the pitch after going into cardiac arrest mid-match earlier this season.

The Hatters’ match against Bournemouth in December was sickeningly abandoned when the defender collapsed on the pitch for the second time in several months.

After suffering atrial fibrillation at Wembley during the Championship play-off final in May, Lockyer returned to football to captain his side in their first ever season in the Premier League.

However, just a few months later, football returned to a lull and hopes for the best after the Welsh international was once again the subject of a medical emergency during the clash with the Cherries.

As such, he has now had an ICD fitted, with the aim of kicking his heart back into action should it ever stop again, eliminating the need to wait for a defibrillator to arrive on the scene, and hopefully saving his life.

WARNING – Disturbing images below

Tom Lockyer showed where the internal heart device is placed in his chest

The device contains a wire that runs to his heart and is designed to shock the organ back into action

The defender collapsed on the pitch after suffering cardiac arrest while playing against Bournemouth

“So that’s my battle wound,” the defender told the Sky Sports cameras as he took a close look at the device fitted in an attempt to save his life in the future.

‘My defibrillator is in there, as you can see there’s a wire running right through the heart in case it ever needs to go off.

‘So that constantly monitors my heart rate and if it goes outside certain parameters it’s designed to shock me.

‘That’s the thread. The battery lasts about ten years, so you only need to replace it every ten years. Hopefully I’ll never need it, but it’s there as a precaution.’

The device extends from under his left arm, with a scar marking the incision made to fit the device during surgery, while two other scars highlight the shape of the device.

Such a life-changing event will undoubtedly weigh heavily on anyone, let alone a young man who just turned 29 and expects to become a father soon.

As such, Lockyer was able to clearly relive the moments before the incident, revealing that he knew the December emergency was “different” to the problems he faced in May.

‘I ran to the halfway line and felt very light-headed, thinking that everything would be fine in a moment. I wasn’t and I woke up with paramedics everywhere.

The Bournemouth scare was the second time Lockyer has collapsed in just a few months

The Hatters defender has admitted he is ‘doing fine’ after the scare left him technically dead for more than two and a half minutes

‘It happened in May, but I knew immediately that this time it was different. Last time I almost woke up from a dream and this time I woke up out of nowhere.

‘I could see straight away: paramedics, physios, club doctors, there was more panic, I couldn’t talk, couldn’t move, trying to figure out what was going on. While that was going on, I remember thinking, “I could die here.”

‘It’s a surreal thought to think that and not be able to move or react, and you could see panic developing.

“Once I came round it was a relief to be alive and luckily where it happened happened, I lived it and my family almost has it worse than me. After what happened in May, I have a recording device and I was out for two minutes and forty seconds, and I had to have a defib to shock me back.”

Lockyer added that he has spoken to the likes of Christian Eriksen, Daley Blind and Charlie Wyke, who have all had similar problems.

He admitted he was “lucky” he collapsed where he did, with medical staff nearby

Fans were left emotional when the match was canceled and the match was rescheduled for March

The advice he received, he said, focused on allowing himself to accept what had happened and process the facts, although he suggested athletes were better able to “think inside the box.”

The 29-year-old was pressed about the chances of him playing again and refused to rule it out, despite acknowledging the time is still some way off.

‘My hands are dictated to a certain extent by medical staff and specialists. What I would say is that if there is a chance that I could play again – I will not do anything against the recommendations of specialists – then I would be happy to do so.

‘It’s far too early at this point to say that there is a lot more testing to be done in the background, but I wouldn’t write it off straight away. But my priority is my baby.’