Damar Hamlin medical situation

Submitted by FrankMurphy on January 2nd, 2023 at 9:08 PM

Anyone watching MNF right now? There is a terrible medical situation unfolding in which Bills LB Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field after making a tackle. There's an ambulance on the field and medics are administering CPR.

This does not look good. Frantic prayers.

 

bluebyyou

January 2nd, 2023 at 9:29 PM ^

I’ll jump in here to update what is going on… Both teams have gone to the locker room and I would guess they’re going to make a decision as to whether they will resume the game.

DamarHamlin was taken away by ambulance after CPR was administered on the field for at least 10 minutes.

Update: Game suspended for the evening.

Hamlin is at the University of Cincinnati medical center in critical condition.

Bo Harbaugh

January 2nd, 2023 at 9:29 PM ^

Amazed this happens this rarely tbh.  Happens in other sports a lot. Maybe they are doing more testing now on the heart, etc -but given the intrinsic violence and insane cardio in football, seems we've been quite lucky in the NFL and CFB over the past few decades relative to sports like soccer, where these collapses are pretty frequent.

Soccer, of course, is more cardio intensive, and less acutely violent, and could explain the higher likelihood of bodily collapse.

Prayers out to the young man.

Cruzcontrol75

January 2nd, 2023 at 11:47 PM ^

I’ve read a lot of speculation on social media and other sources surrounding tonight’s event.  Let’s differentiate some of the major causes.  from what we saw tonight, that is most likely Commotio Cordis, or a sudden traumatic shock to the heart causing a lethal arrhythmia.  This can happen to anyone.

#1 cause of sudden cardiac death in athletes, HOCM or Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy 

#2 cause, ARVD - Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia

these are both inherited or congenital heart defects.  sadly they are not often detected until a life threatening event happens.  They are some of the causes of Sudden Cardiac Arrest(SCA), which are electrical problems associated with the heart.   

These 3 causes are not heart attacks or myocardial infarctions, which is blockage of supply of blood causing injury or death of heart tissue.  Though a heart attack/M.I. may result in SCA 

Cruzcontrol75

January 3rd, 2023 at 1:03 AM ^

To clarify when a heart goes into this chaotic rhythm it does not just “stop”.  This is a fallacy perpetuated by Hollywood’s EKG of normal rhythm to flatline.  Picture a heart just quivering, not effectively pumping blood forward. The only way to fix it is to reset it.  
 

The best analogy is that of a marching band out of step and playing notes at random.  As the heart is defibrillated it is like the band members are momentarily knocked down and brought back up to march and play in sync again.

ckersh74

January 2nd, 2023 at 9:10 PM ^

I only saw it out of the corner of my eye (and I'd care not to see it again), but didn't he flip/come down in an odd way? Something didn't look right when I glanced at it live. 

EDIT: PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong. 

mGrowOld

January 2nd, 2023 at 10:50 PM ^

I was 12 and at the Chuck Hughes game. When he went down Mel Farr stepped over him to go back to the huddle but Dick Butkus went nuts calling for help from the sideline.

After about 10 minutes or so my dentist dad looked at me and said “I think he’s gone.  He hasn’t moved since he went down”.  It wasn’t until we got home that night that we learned he had died.

xgojim

January 3rd, 2023 at 12:49 PM ^

It was surprising/shocking that not a single commentator that I heard (including the local Detroit news folks on Channels 7 and 4) mentioned the Chuck Hughes incident, since that was the benchmark for such a horrible incident.  Of course, since that occurred in 1971, most were not alive at the time to remember it or the name "Chuck Hughes," a name in Lions infamy perhaps more so than 90% of the others.  Hopefully, this doesn't happen any more often than every 50 years in the NFL and preferably never again.

It was curious that I first learned about the situation while watching CNN.  Anderson Cooper included it among his news tidbits around 9:45, so I could switch over to ESPN and learn more (not that they really reported much more than their concerning comments).

Players were certainly emotional.  I wonder how it will affect their future plans, if at all.  Seems like anyone considering retirement would do it pdq.  I would think that wives/families would be even more emotional/vocal than the players.

KO Stradivarius

January 2nd, 2023 at 9:16 PM ^

I was at the Red Wings game when Jiri Fischer collapsed.  It was the first period I believe and they called the game right there and sent everyone home. I think his heart went into arrhythmia or something like that and was resuscitated on the bench by a doctor who was nearby.  He was OK afterwards but never played hockey again, I think he was only 26.

ckersh74

January 2nd, 2023 at 9:13 PM ^

They need to go to commercial for the duration. Go to studio. Anything but this until you have something. And don't be advertising football right at this moment. 

swalburn

January 2nd, 2023 at 9:14 PM ^

I can't remember ever seeing anything like that anywhere.  The way the players were reacting was haunting.  I don't even know what to say.  Just hoping for the best for the kid.

MJ14

January 2nd, 2023 at 10:55 PM ^

I’m around quite a few good hospitals myself and none of them could help my daughter. We ended up getting recommended to a hospital in Cincinnati and they were able to help her almost immediately. I have a lot of respect for the hospitals in Cincinnati and believe they are doing everything they can for this young man. Praying for him, his family, and his teammates. Scary situation. 

FrankMurphy

January 2nd, 2023 at 11:04 PM ^

Suspending the game was absolutely the right call, but any decisions with respect to resolving the outcome of the game (i.e., whether the remainder of the game will be canceled and recorded as a Bengals win, canceled and recorded as a no contest, resumed at a later date, etc) are best left deferred to tomorrow at the earliest.