Sonny Colbrelli was discharged from an Italian hospital on Thursday after undergoing a successful subcutaneous defibrillator (ICD) implantation procedure. Professor Domenico Collado, head of the Department of Hereditary Cardiomyopathy and Sports Cardiology at Padova University Hospital, said in a statement released by the Bahrain Victorias team on Saturday that "the device works to correct the heart rhythm when needed in extreme cases." Colbrelli collapsed on January 26, shortly after finishing second in the uphill sprint of the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya. After a week in hospital in Girona, Spain, he was transferred to a hospital in Padua last Saturday for further tests. The Padova University Hospital is considered the center of excellence in Italy for the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmogenic myocardial diseases.

A few days after his collapse, Bahrain Victorious confirmed that Colbrelli was suffering from an unstable arrhythmia requiring defibrillation. Initial tests showed "no signs of concern," but subsequent tests were "inconclusive" as to the underlying cause of the incident.

"At Padova, the athlete underwent a comprehensive clinical, genetic, and imaging evaluation to determine the cause and most appropriate treatment for the arrhythmia that led to the cardiac arrest," said Professor Domenico Collado.

"The decision to implant the life-saving device was the same for Colbrelli, who received a subcutaneous ICD. The device works to correct the heart's rhythm if it becomes necessary in extreme cases." Colbrelli has been active on social media during his hospitalization, revealing to La Gazzetta dello Sport that he remembers little of what happened when he collapsed. Colbrelli was initially optimistic about an early return to racing, but he and his doctors are cautious after an unstable arrhythmia was identified and doctors restarted his heart with a defibrillator. I think I was lucky, but I don't want to end up like this. ...... La Gazzetta dello Sport quoted Colbrelli as saying while in a Girona hospital, "I'm very happy, but I don't want to end up like this. Colbrelli won the 2021 Paris-Roubaix in October, just weeks after winning the European road race championship.

In Italy, athletes with subcutaneous defibrillators are usually not allowed to compete by sports doctors during medical tests, but this is not the case in other countries.

Last year, however, Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen suffered a heart attack while playing for Denmark in the European Championships. He underwent a subcutaneous defibrillator implantation and now plays for Brentford in the English Premier League. Bahrain Victorious said Colbrelli will continue his rehabilitation at home to ensure privacy and peace for himself and his family, wishing him a speedy recovery and urging everyone to respect the player's privacy.