The Professional Footballers Association has spent around £7m on screening the hearts of professional footballers during the last 20 years.
In the early 1990s, the deaths of 15-year-old Leeds United schoolboy Daniel Yorath and Everton youngster Jack Marshall prompted an increased focus on the detection and treatment of heart defects.
In the wake of Fabrice Muamba's cardiac arrest at White Hart Lane on Sunday, Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini had demanded an improvement in Premier League medical procedures
PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor has defended the current measures in place and suggested that nothing more could have been done.
"We are advised by cardiologists and for the last 20 years we have spent £350,000 a year on screening players," said Taylor.
"For obvious reasons, in the immediate aftermath of Saturday night, we checked Fabrice's records and he had been screened four times.
"The truth is even if you screened someone every three months, there may be some things that wouldn't get picked up."
Muamba, 23, remains in the intensive care unit but has shown signs of improvement and was reportedly laughing and joking with his Bolton Wanderers teammates today.
Robert Summerscales
