Bristol Rovers were unable to call upon the services of Connor Taylor for their League Two defeat at Oldham Athletic on Tuesday night after suffering an irregular heartbeat before kick-off.
Although Taylor made a rapid recovery, speaking after the 2-1 loss at Boundary Park, Rovers manager Joey Barton revealed the club weren't prepared to take any risks with the 20-year-old's health.
It's the second time Taylor, who's enjoying a successful season-long loan from Stoke City, has experienced such symptoms after first complaining of issues during Rovers' 4-2 over Rochdale in early December.
After being examined by the Rovers medical staff and undergoing tests with a cardiologist, Taylor was diagnosed with Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) - a common heart condition which is not considered serious.
With the help of Bristol Rovers team doctor Ian Ferguson, Bristol Live explains Taylor's condition and why there isn't reason for too much concern.
What is Connor Taylor’s condition?
Taylor has Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), which occurs when the electrical system that controls your heart rhythm is not working properly.
Abnormal electrical impulses in the upper chambers of your heart (the atria) cause the heart’s natural rhythm to be overridden. A normal resting heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm) but with SVT your heart rate suddenly goes above 100bpm.
“It’s something that happens often without warning, the heart quickens and beats faster than normal, causing palpitations.” Ferguson said. “The frequency and duration varies depending on the individual. It may happen once a year or it can happen twice a week, it’s unfortunately very unpredictable.”
It’s the second time Taylor has had it after it was first diagnosed following the Rochdale game on October 31 in which he was substituted at half-time.
How common is it and what are the symptoms?
It’s a relatively common and well-known condition that affects around three in every 1,000 people in the United Kingdom and often first occurs in children or young adults.
In Taylor’s case, he’s experienced heart palpitations but other people with the condition have complained of feeling breathless or light-headed, sickness and tiredness.
How serious is it?
It’s not a life-threatening condition and the severity is ultimately judged on how problematic it is with Taylor’s short-lived and mild symptoms very much at the bottom of the scale.
Taylor experienced palpitations for around a minute at Oldham, slightly shorter than against Rochdale, before it returned to a normal rhythm by itself via some breathing procedures.
“It’s more of an inconvenience for Connor at present than anything more serious, thankfully.” Ferguson adds. “Connor has a structurally normal heart but, for some reason, the electrical wiring around the heart kicks him into an odd rhythm.
“How you treat it depends on how frequently it occurs and how bothersome it is. If it becomes more frequent you can have an ablation procedure where you locate the electrical wiring of the heart that is causing the issue and you can get rid of it, through a burning or freezing technique.
“If it’s something that doesn’t happen very frequently and doesn’t impact too much on his career then he may be able to cope without treatment.”
What are the next steps?
Taylor could well be available to face Mansfield Town on Saturday and the situation will continue to be monitored, as it has been since first being detected earlier in the season.
If needed, the procedure to correct it is a common one and there is no requirement for Taylor to have surgery as it stands, but that could change depending on how frequent the symptoms persist.
“We’re in constant communication with our cardiologist and Stoke City, but the most important person in this is Connor,” Ferguson said. “It’s a situation that is under constant review and we will continue to manage it accordingly.”
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