Giovanni Ghini: “Four minutes to ambulance, on-board resuscitation: How we saved Bove”

Giovanni Ghini, president of the Fratellanza Militare, the volunteer association responsible for medical emergencies at the stadium on behalf of Fiorentina, recounted the critical minutes that saved Edoardo Bove’s life during Sunday’s match.

“Everyone around was agitated, but we worked calmly. We knew what to do. You can’t let emotions take over,” Ghini explained. “It took only 30 seconds from the player’s collapse to our arrival.”

At the Franchi stadium, two teams were on standby: one with a doctor and two paramedics, the other with three paramedics. As soon as the doctor reached Bove, he assessed vital signs, consciousness, breathing, and heart rate. In conjunction with Fiorentina’s medical staff, an immediate decision was made to transport Bove to the hospital. Within four minutes, Edoardo was in the ambulance.

During the journey, the medical team performed resuscitation. The semi-automatic defibrillator was activated to restore proper heart rhythm, with treatment continuing throughout the trip. Upon arrival at the hospital, the ambulance doctor briefed the emergency staff on the situation and the interventions performed.

By this point, Bove’s heart had begun beating independently, and he was breathing on his own. Just 13 minutes after the initial collapse, he was in the hospital’s red room, where anesthesiologists and emergency physicians could address his post-resuscitation agitation.

Addressing why the ambulance didn’t enter the field, Ghini explained that the emergency operational plan specifically prohibits this. In critical situations, any risk of delay must be avoided, and the vehicle could potentially get stuck on the grass due to its weight. Instead, paramedics carry necessary equipment in backpacks, perform initial checks on the patient, and then transfer them to the waiting ambulance.