'Rare' trauma may have caused star's cardiac arrest

1 year ago 83

Buffalo Bills information Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac apprehension aft making a tackle, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal crippled against the Cincinnati Bengals that rapidly mislaid value successful the aftermath of a scary country that unfolded successful beforehand of a nationalist tv audience.

"Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac apprehension pursuing a deed successful our crippled versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored connected the tract and helium was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further investigating and treatment," the Bills said successful a statement. "He is presently sedated and listed successful captious condition."

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The 24-year-old Hamlin was administered CPR connected the field. Teammates surrounded Hamlin, shielding him from nationalist view. Many were weeping and praying portion Hamlin was treated connected the tract by squad and autarkic aesculapian unit and section paramedics. He was taken by ambulance to University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Teammate Stefon Diggs aboriginal went to sojourn Hamlin astatine the infirmary portion fans of some teams gathered outside, holding lit candles and praying.

WHAT HAPPENED TO HAMLIN?

Hamlin was wounded portion tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins connected a seemingly regular play that didn't look unusually violent.

Higgins was moving with the shot connected a 13-yard walk from Joe Burrow erstwhile helium led with his close shoulder, hitting Hamlin successful the chest. Hamlin past wrapped his arms astir Higgins' shoulders and helmet to resistance him down. Hamlin rapidly got to his feet, appeared to set his look disguise with his close hand, and past fell backward astir 3 seconds aboriginal and laic motionless.

Hamlin was down for 19 minutes portion receiving aesculapian attention. WXIX-TV successful Cincinnati reported that Hamlin required an automated outer defibrillator (AED) successful summation to CPR connected the field.

WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED HAMLIN'S CARDIAC ARREST?

Cardiac specialists accidental it's excessively soon to cognize what caused Hamlin's bosom to stop, but a uncommon benignant of trauma called commotio cordis is among the imaginable culprits. Commotio cordis occurs erstwhile a terrible stroke to the thorax causes the heartbeat to quiver, starring to abrupt cardiac arrest.

The information lone happens during a uncommon acceptable of circumstances: erstwhile a crisp deed lands straight implicit the bosom "at the nonstop incorrect determination astatine the nonstop incorrect timing" during the heart's bushed cycle, said Dr Rod Passman, manager of the halfway for arrythmia probe astatine Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine.

Commotio cordis occurs "probably 20 times a year,'' and astir 60 per cent of those affected survive, said bosom bushed specializer Dr Mark Link of UT Southwestern Medical Center. The main interest for survivors is encephalon harm from deficiency of oxygen erstwhile the bosom stops pumping blood, Link said. Doctors tin assistance trim that hazard with heavy sedation to springiness the encephalon a rest, helium said.

Dr Aman Chugh, a University of Michigan cardiology professor, noted that hard-hitting tackles are highly communal successful shot and that commotio cordis is highly rare. It could beryllium that Hamlin had a pre-existing bosom information that caused his bosom to stop, though that is speculative, Chugh said.

In general, underlying bosom illness is the astir communal origin of abrupt cardiac arrest, said Dr Mariell Jessup, the American Heart Association's main aesculapian officer.

"It is not uncommon to find retired that precise vigorous athletes person undiagnosed cardiac conditions adjacent if they're young players," she said.

More than 365,000 radical successful the US person abrupt cardiac arrests successful non-hospital settings each year, according to the American Heart Association. Survival depends connected speedy CPR and shocking the bosom backmost into a mean rhythm, arsenic reportedly happened with Hamlin.

"The teachable infinitesimal is larn CPR,'' Jessup said.

Hamlin's aesculapian past has not been made public.

WHAT TOOK SO LONG TO POSTPONE THE GAME?

It took the NFL astir 1 hr aft Hamlin collapsed to officially suspend the crippled due to the fact that league executives were gathering accusation and communicating with referee Shawn Smith, coaches from some teams and the NFL Players Association.

Troy Vincent, the league's enforcement vice president of shot operations, said that the NFL's Emergency Action Plan was activated. Vincent communicated with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Players Association enforcement manager DeMaurice Smith. Dawn Aponte, the league's main shot administrative officer, was astatine the crippled and communicated with Bills manager Sean McDermott and Bengals manager Zac Taylor and the referee.

"It was fluid and things were changing by the minute," Vincent said. "It was evident connected the telephone that the emotions were highly high. It was a precise volatile situation."

Vincent refuted ESPN's broadcast study that some teams were fixed a five-minute warmup play to resume playing.

"I'm not definite wherever that came from," Vincent said. "It ne'er crossed our caput to speech astir warming up to resume play. That's ridiculous. That's insensitive. That's not a spot we should ever beryllium in."

WHO IS HAMLIN?

Hamlin spent 5 years of assemblage astatine Pittsburgh — his hometown — and appeared successful 48 games for the Panthers implicit that span. He was a second-team All-ACC performer arsenic a senior, was voted a squad skipper and was picked to play successful the Senior Bowl.

Drafted successful the sixth circular by the Bills successful 2021, Hamlin played successful 14 games arsenic a rookie and past became a starter this play aft Micah Hyde was injured.

In 2020, Hamlin began organising an yearly Christmas artifact thrust successful his hometown of McKees Rocks, Pennslyvania. By aboriginal Tuesday, a assemblage artifact thrust organised by Hamlin had surged to much than $4.6 cardinal successful donations. His stated extremity was $3700.

Bills violative lineman Rodger Saffold, successful a station connected Twitter, described Hamlin arsenic a "kind, caring, highly hard worker." Saffold wrote that Hamlin is "loyal, honorable and tin ever enactment a grin connected your face. He is much than an athlete, helium is simply a lad and brother."

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE NFL?

The Bills-Bengals crippled was postponed indefinitely, and the NFL announced that it volition not beryllium resumed this week contempt large playoff implications.

Both teams are battling for the AFC's No.1 seed. The Bills (12-3) entered the crippled successful the apical spot portion the Bengals (11-4) had a accidental to clinch the AFC North with a triumph and besides were successful the premix for the No.1 effect on with Kansas City (13-3).

The Bengals led 7-3 successful the archetypal 4th erstwhile the crippled was stopped. The NFL has made nary determination regarding a imaginable resumption astatine a aboriginal date.

The NFL is entering the last week of the regular season, and the playoffs are scheduled to statesman connected January 14.

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