Colbrelli leaves hospital after defibrillator implant surgery

Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious)
Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain Victorious) (Image credit: Getty Images)

Sonny Colbrelli has been discharged from hospital in Italy after undergoing a successful subcutaneous defibrillator (ICD) implantation operation on Thursday. 

“The device works to correct the rhythm of the heart if it’s needed in extreme cases,” Professor Domenico Corrado, the Director of the Genetic Cardiomyopathy and Sports Cardiology Unit of the Padova University hospital said in a statement from the Bahrain Victorious team on Saturday. 

Colbrelli collapsed moments after finishing second in the uphill sprint on the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya on March 26. He spent a week in hospital in Girona, Spain and was then transferred to the Padova hospital last Saturday to undergo further tests. The Padova University hospital is considered an Italian centre of excellence for diagnosing and treating arrhythmogenic heart muscle diseases. 

A few days after collapsing, Bahrain Victorious confirmed that Colbrelli had suffered an unstable cardiac arrhythmia that required defibrillation. Initial tests were said to show "no signs of concern" but follow-up examinations were described as "inconclusive" as to the underlying cause of the incident.

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.