Damar Hamlin Updates – What is Commotio Cordis
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin 24, is in critical health after collapsed on the field Monday night in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Here’s what we know:
What happened:Moments after he was up from an open field tackle on Bengals Wide receiver Tee Higgins, Hamlin fell on his back.
In less than 10 seconds, Bills Team trainers began treating the player in just 10 seconds. An ambulance was brought onto the field in less than five minutes, the footage illustrates the scene, and Hamlin was given CPR, according to an ESPN broadcast. He was later transferred to the hospital.
Hamlin’s status:The player was struck by an cardiac arrest after the hit from the tackle and his heartbeat was returned at the scene, the Bills announced in a statement made on Twitter early Tuesday.
Hamlin was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for further treatment and testing and is currently being sedated according to the Bills said.
Game:Play ended at the 5:58 mark of the first quarter, after which the game was officially delayed. The NFL provided more details about next steps would be announced in the “appropriate time,” adding that the wellbeing of Hamlin was the primary concern.
This teamSome members of Hamlin’s team were with him in Cincinnati while the majority of the team traveled back to Buffalo Tuesday morning. Buffalo is in New York state, near the Canadian-US border.
Speculation has centered upon Commotio Cordis:
Commotio cordis is blunt, nonpenetrating trauma to the chest resulting in irregular heart rhythm and often leading to sudden death. This article presents the epidemiology, variables leading to commotio cordis, theories on predisposing factors, diagnosis, treatment, treatment outcomes, and return-to-play recommendations.
There are more than 190 reported cases of commotio cordis in the United States. Forty-seven percent of reported cases occurred during athletic participation. Commotio cordis is the second-most common cause of sudden cardiac death in athletes. Occurrence of commotio cordis is related to time of impact during the cardiac cycle, direct impact over the heart, the hardness and speed of the projectile, and the ineffectiveness of chest barriers. As a result, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that softer “safety” baseballs be used for youth baseball. Resuscitation using defibrillation was effective in only 15% of cases. Resuscitation within 3 minutes resulted in a survival rate of 25% (17 of 68 cases). Survival drops to 3% when resuscitation is delayed beyond 3 minutes. Survival of commotio cordis has risen from 10% to 15% since 2001. Reduced ventricular ejection fraction has been identified in some commotio cordis survivors.
Commotio cordis (CC) is blunt, nonpenetrating trauma to the chest resulting in irregular heart rhythm and often leading to sudden death. Although CC was once viewed as being exceedingly rare, the number of reported cases is rising. Cases demonstrate no structural damage to myocardial tissue at autopsy, and victims are typically young and otherwise healthy. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the most common arrhythmia, with early defibrillation improving survival rates.
A study analyzing a swine model brought to light many factors that play a role in CC. Timing
and location10 of the blow, as well as speed12 and hardness of the projectile,15 determine whether CC will cause sudden death. The underlying mechanism is thought to be an increase in ventricular pressure leading to activation of stretch channels.