Fans have been left worried as Joey Barton confirms that Stoke owned player Connor Taylor will have to undergo heart surgery.
The 20 year old Potters defender is currently on loan with League Two side Bristol Rovers and was prevented from playing the game against Oldham on Tuesday.
Taylor was set to start for Barton’s side at Boundary Park but withdrew from the warm-up because he reported to staff that he wasn’t feeling well.
Connor Taylor will need to have surgery on his heart after missing loan side Bristol Rovers’ game against Oldham Athletic on Tuesday #SCFC #TBPTV (BristolLive) pic.twitter.com/3C8x3YfNEH
— The Bear Pit TV (@TheBearPitTV) February 9, 2022
He signalled to the Bristol Rovers’ medical team that his heart was racing and beating irregularly, feeling queasy at the time.
It’s not the first time that this has happened with Taylor experiencing something similar during a game against Rochdale in December with Barton substituting him at half time.
Barton confirmed that Taylor was feeling better soon after but he was taken out of the squad with Barton keen not to take any risks.
BristolLive report Barton had told reporters that Taylor’s issue is a minor one but it will have to be corrected in the summer and potentially sooner if necessary.
“He just had a weird rhythm in his heart, which he had in the Rochdale game when it made him come off,” Barton said.
“From what I gather, it’s an operation he is going to have to get at some point.
“There was obviously a big worry about it because it’s related to the heart.
“This time, it came on for a short period and it went off. I made the call at that period to say he can’t play. Firstly, we need to get to the bottom of it. Secondly, I wasn’t sure he’d be in the right frame of mind.
“As much of a blow as it was to us, you’re talking about people’s lives here. Football’s important but there are many things that are more important. It was a call that we made.
“He’s absolutely fine now, but he does require surgery in the off-season. It is something that will be relatively straightforward to fix.
“The problem for him is if it keeps reoccurring, we’re going to have to accelerate that process. We’re hoping that it was just a slight flare-up. It was over and done with in a short period of time and he’s walking around absolutely fine.
“Hopefully, he can continue because he’s a big player for us, but if not then he has to get that put right.”
BristolLive explain that Taylor has Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), which occurs when the electrical system that controls your heart rhythm doesn’t working how it should.
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.” Rovers team doctor Ian 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.”
Here he is scoring an equaliser for Bristol Rovers against Walsall earlier this season before his side went and got a winner in injury time.
It’s a relatively common and well-known condition that affects around three in every 1,000 people in the UK and often first occurs in children or young adults.
For Taylor, he gets heart palpitations but other people with the condition have complained of feeling breathless or light-headed, sickness and tiredness, so might end up having to be taken out of a team selection or removed mid-game more frequent than usual.
His condition is not thought to life-threatening however it does need sorting, enough so that surgery is planned to make life easier for him.
Taylor experienced palpitations for around 60 seconds at Oldham, slightly shorter than against Rochdale, however it returned to a normal rhythm by itself with the help of some breathing techniques.
“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.”
It is unknown as to whether Taylor will play against Mansfield on Saturday but he will be closely looked at.
The procedure to correct his condition is said to be common and there is no requirement for Taylor to have surgery as it stands, but could change based on how frequent he experienced the symptoms.
“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.”
This doesn’t sound good. Hopefully it all goes well for the lad and they’ve caught whatever it is early.
Joey Barton confirms Connor Taylor is set for heart surgery https://t.co/Jpt5fmsXZX
— Frosty (@FrostyFrosty_) February 9, 2022
Twitter users gave their reaction with some fans worried as Joey Barton confirms that the Stoke owned player is to have heart surgery…
@yanbsims: Sounds very similar to something I’ve had for the best part of 20 years! Happens very occasionally and I get over it with slow breathing techniques. Maybe time i to go see a doctor. Best wishes to @ConnorTaylor___
@Ford4Caz: Would massively impact our season but if bringing it forward is what’s needed for his physical and mental wellbeing then needs to happen. This guy has got a long footballing career ahead of him
@holmz1980: Can’t take any risks. 100% the correct decision to pull him from last night’s game. All the best
@SimonDGould: That needs sorting – best wishes Connor!
@tucker_brendan: This is where football takes a back step, health far more important. He has a great future in the game all being well
@maceyjust: Woah, get the surgery done and get back to playing real soon @ConnorTaylor___
@drtq_9: Wtf bro u alright
@prendall68: Has a massive future ahead of him so let’s hope its sorted and he can continue to play.
@popsgas: He can’t take risks with heart. Needs the surgery as soon as possible.
@Olly_Dorrie: Puts perspective on the game, hope he has a speedy recovery
@weeksy11: I mean we would miss him but that procedure needs doing surely? Health first.
@ColinGould2: Another farce. The guy needs it done now. How can he focus on football with this going on? Why should he have to?
@weare_stoke: Come back stronger Connor ❤️
@Not606_TheGas: Absolutely gutted but health comes first so it’s the right decision.
@thatchersend: I get that he is key for our defence at the moment but if the lad has a heart issue then just let him have the surgery now if he can, surely every game he plays without the surgery is a risk for him?

You must be logged in to post a comment Login