Doctors say they’re still evaluating what caused Damar Hamlin’s heart to stop after a tackle during Monday night’s game in Cincinnati. One possibility — a fluke type of chest trauma called commotio cordis — is impossible to predict or prevent.
FILE - Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin is examined during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Cincinnati. Quick on-the-field emergency care from well-rehearsed medical personnel is widely credited with helping save Damar Hamlins life.
But whether his cardiac arrest could have been prevented is much less certain. Quick on-the-field emergency care from well-rehearsed medical personnel is widely credited with helping save Damar Hamlin’s life. But whether his cardiac arrest could have been prevented is much less certain. Doctors say they’re still evaluating what caused Hamlin’s heart to stop after a tackle during Monday night’s game in Cincinnati. One possibility — a fluke type of chest trauma calledExisting heart conditions are the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes. Some of them can be detected through tests including EKGs, which measure the heart’s electrical activity, and echocardiograms, ultrasound imaging exams that show how the heart muscle and valves are working. These tests can’t detect all heart conditions and sometimes overlook ones that can be deadly. They are routine in professional sports and used by about half of NCAA programs, said Dr. Andrew Peterson, a team physician for the University of Iowa. The American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics don’t recommend them for routine use in high school and youth sports because false-positive results would exclude too many athletes, Peterson said. Routine physical exams should include questions about family history of heart disease and worrisome symptoms including fainting episodes, rapid heart rate and chest pain during activity, said Dr. Mariell Jessup, the heart association’s chief medical officer. Cardiac tests would be warranted to investigate those symptoms, she said. “It’s possible for somebody to get all the way to adulthood and not have their diagnosis made," she noted. “That particularly happens in populations that are under-resourced or don’t have the ability to see a physician on a regular basis." Hamlin’s health history has not been made public. The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety remains hospitalized, but doctors say he's making remarkableJessup said Hamlin “was extraordinarily lucky that there were people around who knew CPR” and that it was started right away.held at stadiums before each game. “The meeting is an essential checkpoint to ensure officials, team medical staff and gameday medical personnel are aware of all in-game player health and safety procedures and resources,’’ according to online NFL player health and safety information. Sudden cardiac arrest is among the things for which they try to prepare. It is the leading medical cause of death in young athletes, though it is rare, with an estimated 1 sudden cardiac death in 50,000 to 80,000 young athletes each year. A rare cause of these deaths is commotio cordis, which occurs when someone receives a sharp blow to the chest in a certain spot during a specific time of the heart's rhythm cycle. The trauma causes the heart to quiver and stop pumping blood efficiently. It used to be nearly always fatal but awareness has improved survival to about 60%, said Dr. Mark Link of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Texas. One of the most common heart conditions involved in athlete cardiac arrests can often be detected in echocardiograms. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic condition that can cause part of the heart muscle to thicken, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. Affected people don’t always have symptoms and often go undiagnosed. Former Baylor basketball player King McClure had no idea he was affected until he had a EKG and echocardiogram at the start of his freshman year in 2015. The diagnosis was devastating: Doctors said he could die if he continued playing. One physician offered an option — an implanted defibrillator that shocks the heart to restore normal heartbeats. The implanted device “has never activated, by the grace of God," said McClure, now 26 and an ESPN analyst. McClure said he saw Hamlin’s collapse and thought, “that could have been me. When you see things like that that hit so close to home, it kind of scares you," he said. “I’m just thankful that Hamlin is OK and that he’s still here." Julie West, of La Porte, Indiana, became an advocate for routine heart testing in schools, more widespread use of automated external defibrillators and routine cardiac emergency drills after her 17-year-old son, Jake, died of sudden cardiac arrest during football practice in 2013. “For Jake, no one really knew what to do right away,’’ she said. “The AED was in the coach’s office. The coaches stepped in and did CPR," but it was too late. AED awareness has increased since then, and AED procedures are emphasized at almost all level of sport, even high schools. “It is part of our CPR renewal course,” said Eric McCauliffe, the girls varsity basketball coach at Indian Lake-Long Lake in upstate New York. “We absolutely run through it and quiz coaches on the locations of AEDs at each school as well.” An autopsy revealed Jake had a rare hereditary heart condition that didn’t cause symptoms and wasn't picked up during routine physical exams. His sister later had testing that revealed she has the same condition and she now wears an implanted defibrillator. West was a teacher when Jake died and says she was trained for active shooters and fires, but not cardiac arrests.She formed a foundation that organizes EKG and echocardiogram screenings at Indiana schools.AP sports writers Tim Reynolds, Ron Blum and Ralph Russo contributed.The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NFL won't resume Bills-Bengals game after Damar Hamlin suffers cardiac arrest on fieldThe NFL won't resume the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals after temporarily suspending the game on Monday following the collapse of Bills player Damar Hamlin due to cardiac arrest.
Read more »
UC physicians detail Damar Hamlin’s ‘remarkable recovery,’ life-saving care on the fieldBuffalo safety Damar Hamlin's family allowed a pair of UC physicians to offer updates about his current condition and care he's receiving at the UC Medical Center on Thursday.
Read more »
The Rare Heart Phenomenon Thought to Have Caused Damar Hamlin’s CollapseCommotio cordis, the phenomenon named as the leading explanation for Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest after an on-field hit, is notorious but rare in sports—and considered even more rare in football
Read more »
Damar Hamlin breathing on his own, able to talk after on-field collapseBuffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is able to breathe on his own and talk after collapsing on-field during a game Monday night against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Read more »
Damar Hamlin Collapse: Prior Heart Screenings May Not Have Prevented Terrifying OrdealQuick on-the-field emergency care from well-rehearsed medical personnel is widely credited with helping save Damar Hamlin’s life. But whether his cardiac arrest could have been prevented is much less certain.
Read more »