The Cause of Damar Hamlin’s Cardiac Arrest Finally Revealed

The update comes over three months after the Buffalo Bills player collapsed on the field during a game in January.

More details about Damar Hamlin’s alarming health scare earlier this year have finally been revealed. 

Back on Jan. 2, the Buffalo Bills safety collapsed on the field after going into cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, prompting medical personnel to perform CPR and rush him to the hospital. After being in critical condition for days, Hamlin was discharged from the hospital on Jan. 11. 

Over three months later, the NFL player, 25, explained in a press conference on Tuesday, April 18, what exactly caused the cardiac arrest, revealing that he was diagnosed with commotio cordis, which he described as “a direct blow at a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrest, and five to seven seconds later, you fall out.” 

During the time of the incident, Hamlin had made a tackle against Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, suffering a hit to the chest at just the wrong time, triggering the medical emergency. 

“Commotio cordis requires several things to go exactly right—or exactly wrong,” said Dr. Gordon F. Tomaselli on behalf of the American Heart Association. He also stated that patients “will not survive” unless “witnesses recognize the situation, start CPR, alert emergency medical services and use a defibrillator.” 

During the press conference, Hamlin made a point to express his gratitude for the medical staff that intervened during the game, who directly contributed to saving his life. 

He also said that commotio cordis is “the leading cause of death in youth athletes across all sports,” and that he intends to do what he can to “make a change” and raise awareness, while noting that knowledge of CPR and access to AEDs have lowered the number of deaths caused by the condition. 

Hamlin also confirmed on Tuesday that he plans on “making comeback to the NFL,” as he has been officially cleared by his doctors. 

“I got a long journey to go, but I’m committed to it each day,” he said. “So I thank everybody for being on this journey with me.”

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