DETROIT – Red Wings defenseman Jiri Fischer was released from the hospital Wednesday and was resting at home, two days after he collapsed on the bench in convulsions.

He was placed on injured reserve and the team recalled defenseman Kyle Quincey from Grand Rapids of the AHL before hosting Colorado on Wednesday night.

Fischer was stricken in the first period against the Nashville Predators. Team physician Tony Colucci wasn’t able to detect a pulse after Fischer collapsed, and an auto defibrillator was used on the 25-year-old player.

After performing CPR, Colucci said he detected a good pulse and Fischer was taken from the arena by ambulance to Detroit Receiving Hospital. Colucci said Fischer’s heart might have stopped, but he didn’t know for how long.

The team announced to the crowd Monday night that Fischer had a seizure, but Red Wings coach Mike Babcock later said Fischer’s heart had stopped.

On Tuesday, Colucci said the defibrillator indicated that Fischer’s heart may have been experiencing ventricular tachycardia, a kind of racing heartbeat, or ventricular fibrillation, a heart fluttering. Both can cause death, and ventricular fibrillation is a common cause of sudden cardiac arrest.

Fischer was diagnosed with a heart abnormality in 2002, causing him to miss two days of practice.

Colucci said tests were being done to determine whether the convulsions were related to the abnormality. When the 2002 result came back, Fischer was given a stress test that he passed, and he said his heart essentially is a little thicker than normal.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.