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Damar Hamlinhas revealed the cause of his cardiac arrest after the Buffalo Bills safety collapsed on the field in January.
During apress conferenceon Tuesday, Hamlin, 25, said he was diagnosed with commotio cordis and described the condition as “a direct blow at a specific point in your heartbeat that cause cardiac arrest, and five to seven seconds later, you fall out.”
According to Dr. Gordon F. Tomaselli on behalf of theAmerican Heart Association, commotio cordis is “a rare cardiac arrest immediately following a blow to the chest” that “induces a potentially lethal heart rhythm disturbance, or arrhythmia, called ventricular fibrillation.”
Hamlin told reporters that commotio cordis is “the leading cause of death in youth athletes across all sports” and he’ll be “personally taking a step” to combat that statistic and raise awareness.
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Hamlin, who hopes the awareness will lead to greater education and access to CPR, also took a moment to thank the medical professionals who treated him “with the care of their children,” he said.
“First, I want to just start with saying I’m thankful and I’m blessed,” said Hamlin, who went on to shout out the “wonderful medical staff” and his “wonderful coaches and teammates” in Buffalo.
“I got a long journey to go, but I’m committed to it each day,” said Hamlin. “So I thank everybody for being on this journey with me.”
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Buffalo Bills general managerBrandon Beane told reporterson Tuesday that Hamlin is medically cleared to play again.
“He’s fully cleared, he’s here and…he’s in a great headspace to come back and make his return,” Beanesaidduring a press conference.
In February, a month after Hamlin said the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals medical teamssaved his life, the NFL startoldGood Morning Americahe “eventually” wanted to play football again, but was leaving that decision “in God’s hands.”
Damar Hamlin.Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire/Getty
In March, Hamlin joined Senate Majority LeaderChuck Schumerand Congressman Brian Higgins in Washington on Wednesday to support the Access to AEDs Act.
During the event, Hamlin recounted his experience with cardiac arrest and offered statistics around how often young athletes also experience it.
“Sudden cardiac arrest happens to more than 7,000 kids under the age of 18 every year in our country,” he continued. “The majority of the kids impacted are student athletes. Research shows that one in every 300 youth has an undetected heart condition that puts them at risk.”
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According to theAmerican Heart Association, CPR can improve the chances of survival until emergency medical assistance arrives. Over 356,000 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital in the United States annually. It is often fatal if proper steps aren’t taken immediately.
Added Hamlin on Wednesday, “For schools that have AEDs, the survival rate for the children from sudden cardiac arrest is seven times higher. The Access to AEDs Act will help ensure that schools are just as prepared and trained to respond in a time of crisis as those on the sideline of an NFL game.”
source: people.com
