Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin may have suffered a one-in-264-million injury according to doctors after the NFL star experienced a cardiac arrest during a live game on Monday night.
The 24-year-old suffered a medical emergency during the Buffalo Bills' game against the Cincinnati Bengals, after what appeared to be a routine tackle. As Hamlin stood up following the tackle, however, he was seen swaying slightly before falling flat on his back.
Medical staff rushed to the field, and an ambulance arrived on the scene within five minutes. While CPR was administered, players and coaches from both teams knelt around Hamlin and prayed for his safety.
Hamlin was rushed to hospital where he has reportedly remained in critical condition. Shortly after the distressing incident, Buffalo Bills released a statement on Twitter that read: "Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit in our game versus the Bengals. His heartbeat was restored on the field and he was transferred to the UC Medical Center for further testing and treatment. He is currently sedated and listed in critical condition."
We now know that Hamlin had to be resuscitated twice, after his uncle Dorrian Glenn spoke to CNN about his nephew's condition on Tuesday (January 3). "His heart had went out so they had to resuscitate him twice. They resuscitated him on the field before they brought him to the hospital and then they resuscitated him a second time when they got him to the hospital," Glenn stated, via The Independent.
Doctors believe that the tackle had disrupted Hamlin's heartbeat and blood flow, and have also speculated this may have happened during a very vulnerable moment in the heart's electrical cycle. This may have triggered a condition known as commotio cordis, which occurs when something makes contact with the chest wall at the exact moment the heart's chambers begin refilling with blood, per The Daily Mail.
This impact in turn prevents the heart from getting blood to the rest of the body, and the window for this to happen is just 20 milliseconds - making Hamlin's injury one-in-264 million.
Medical professionals say that the critical question is just how long Hamlin's brain was left without the oxygen that blood flow carries to vital organs. Brain tissue dies swiftly when deprived of oxygen, which can leave permanent damage.
Dr Deepak Bhatt, a top cardiologist at Mount Sinai Heart in New York City, told The Daily Mail: "The first thought that occurred to me was that it was something called commotio cordis. It really refers to the classic situation of injury to the chest.
"This is usually in baseball when someone hits a line into the pitcher's chest and that sudden impact can trigger abnormal heart rhythms. The only way to come out of that is to deliver an electric shock and perform CPR."
He added that, in a best-case scenario, patients suffering from the condition can be in hospital for a week to a week and a half and, in worst-case scenarios, far longer.
Our thoughts are with Damar Hamlin's family, friends, teammates, and fans at this difficult time.
