Damar Hamlin is improving. The Buffalo Bills player’s condition is known.

By Maggie On Jan 5, 2023

Damar Hamlin is improving. The Buffalo Bills player’s condition is known. Three days after collapsing during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition but is “neurologically intact,” the Buffalo Bills said in a statement on Thursday. The team reported that the player has “shown remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” quoting the University of Cincinnati Medical Center doctors.

The Bills announced Wednesday that their safety had suffered a cardiac arrest and was in critical condition in intensive care.

According to CBS Chicago’s Charlie De Mar, Hamlin’s uncle Dorrian Glenn told reporters Tuesday night outside the University of Cincinnati Medical Center that his nephew’s heart had stopped twice: once on the field and again in the hospital. Glenn added that Hamlin couldn’t breathe independently due to lung damage. He said the player’s oxygen level has dropped from 100% to 50% on the ventilator.

His lungs are continuing to heal, and he is making steady progress, the Bills said Thursday.

Tell me about the big play from last night’s Monday Night Football.

Hamlin, a 24-year-old safety for the Bengals, was hit in the chest by wide receiver Tee Higgins’ helmet with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter. As a result of Hamlin’s efforts, Higgins was forced to the floor. Immediately after, Hamlin got to his feet but collapsed a few seconds later.

According to The Associated Press, Hamlin received CPR and an automated external defibrillator during the 19 minutes medical personnel spent with him on the field. According to CBS Sports, paramedics loaded him onto a stretcher and took him to an ambulance, where he was given oxygen before being driven to the hospital.

The Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals had to postpone the rest of their game.

Early Tuesday morning, the Bills announced that Hamlin had suffered cardiac arrest and had his heartbeat restored on the field before being transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. The team reported that he had been sedated and was in critical condition.

At the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Damar Hamlin has been in the intensive care unit since last night and is still in extremely critical condition today.

All the help and encouragement we’ve gotten so far have filled us with gratitude and appreciation.

A tweet from the Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) on January 3, 2023

Wednesday, the team announced via Twitter that Hamlin “despite showing signs of improvement yesterday and overnight, continues to be in critical condition and must be kept in the intensive care unit. His medical team plans to keep him under close observation and treatment in intensive care for the foreseeable future. “

How do you define “commotio cordis”?

Dr. David Agus, a medical contributor for CBS News, speculated that Hamlin may have suffered commotio cordis, an arrhythmia of the heart that can result from a blow to the chest.

According to Agus, Little Leaguers who get hit in the chest with a ball account for about 30 of the 30,000 annual cases of commotiocordis in the United States.

The energy of the blow interferes with the heart’s electrical signals, causing ventricular fibrillation. This fast, erratic heartbeat does not pump blood into the brain, which Agus describes as “a confusion of the heart.” According to Agus, in such a case, a shock to the heart is necessary to restore normal rhythm.

To “shock the best heart back into a regular rhythm,” he explained that defibrillators are kept on the sidelines of games.

According to Agus, the risk of death or serious injury increases every minute that brain blood flow is cut off.

He emphasized the urgency of the situation, saying, “Every minute you wait is a 10% increase in the likelihood of death.”

Hamlin’s brain may not have been damaged due to his heart-stopping. Agus opined that the sooner they could get his heart beating again, the better his chances of making a speedy recovery.

“People who don’t even know us are showing love and support, and we’re so thankful for that,” Glenn, the player’s uncle, said. “I know those prayers are helping because he’s recovering. … God got a mission for him, and that’s why he’s still here.”