He’s Finally Home! What happened to Buffalo Bills’ Player Damarhamlin? Cardiologists Break it Down

Cardiologists speculate about what might have happened on January 2.

Following sudden cardiac arrest, Buffalo Bills player Damar Haylin, 24, was placed in critical condition. He is currently on the road to recovery. Hamlin was released from the hospital after spending time in critical condition at both the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Buffalo General Medical Center. Wednesday, Jan. 11.

Hamlin shared his appreciation for the public’s support.

“Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling,” Hamlin wrote. “The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world n more. Bigger than football!”

After tackling Tee Higgins, a Bengals receiver on Jan. 2, Hamlin suffered injuries. While running He hit Hamlin’s right shoulder with the ball. Hamlin managed to stand up but fell into cardiac arrest within seconds. He was given CPR, but he needed assistance from a defibrillator in order to revive him.

According to the American Heart AssociationIn the United States, 365,000 people experience sudden cardiac arrest in non-hospital settings each year. Immediate CPR and getting the heart back into a normal rhythm are critical for survival, as seen in Hamlin’s case.

Many cardiologists speculate on the causes of this tragedy and most agree that it could have been caused by a condition called “cardiovascular disease.” commotio cordis. This article will provide all the information you need to understand the condition and the likely events that occurred in the field.

What is Commotio Cordis and How Does It Work?

Commotio Cordis is a rare condition that causes the heart to stop pumping immediately after an impact. The abnormal rhythm of the heart is called ventricular fibrillation. Dr. Kaustubh Dabhadkar, MDThe expert in preventive cardiology and cardiologist, Dr. explains. The heart’s bottom chambers, also known as ventricles (or fibrillating), pump instead of pumping.

No warning signs are required because an impact causes the situation to occur. Based on research conducted on pigsDr. Dabhadkar states that this condition is caused by direct impact on the heart by a hard object traveling between 40-60 mph at a certain point in the heart rhythm cycle. This has been seen in young male athletes, mostly younger than 20 years old.

Hamlin suffered a right shoulder injury when Higgins hit Hamlin over the chest wall. This type of impact between two moving objects could cause pressures between 250 mmHg and 600 mmHg above the chest wall. Dr. Dabhadkar explains that although we might never know the exact time, it was most likely during the initial part of the heart’s relaxation in preparation for the next beat.

Cleveland Clinic Explains that commotio cordis, Latin for “agitation of heart”, is a method whereby the object’s impulse disrupts the normal rhythm of the heart and leads to sudden cardiac arrest.”

“In detail, the heart routinely follows a regular electrical conduction circuit to produce each heartbeat,” Dr. Kate Elfrey, DO, A cardiologist from The Heart Center at Mercy explains. “If this circuit is interrupted at just the right time (in this case by blunt trauma), the routine circuit degenerates into a dangerous heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation.”

Ventricular fibrillation can be a fatal heart rhythm. This is because the heart cannot pump blood enough to the body, and especially the brain. This can cause a loss or consciousness, and even a loss of your pulse. To restore blood flow to the brain/body, the heart must be restarted as soon as possible after ventricular fibrillation has occurred.

Related: AFib Is the Most Common Type of Heart Condition—Here’s How to Know If You Have It, and What to Do

Symptoms and Risk Factors

According to Cleveland Clinic“Cases with commotio Cordis are extremely rare.” It is rare to find more than 30 cases per year.

However, they are still common and can lead to serious consequences. life-threatening symptoms. “The common symptoms seen with commotio cordis are sudden and abrupt loss of consciousness after blunt trauma to the chest,” says Dr. Elfrey.

Cleveland Clinic lists the symptoms You can also use commotio coris to:

• Instantly collapse after being hit in your chest.

• Ventricular fibrillation.

• Cardiac arrest.

• Unconsciousness.

The most vulnerable are young men between the ages 10 and 20.

Dr. Elfery explained that this is because the breast bone and sternum are still not fully developed. This makes their heart more vulnerable to blunt trauma.

Commotio cordis is most often seen in sports that involve a ball or puck—such as baseball, lacrosse, hockey—and can occur when the ball or puck strikes the chest. Dr. Elfrey says contact sports that can cause trauma to the anterior chest are also a risk.

Related: Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Heart Health?

Treatment

First, a quick diagnosis is essential in order to treat commotio cordis.

Dr. Elfrey advises that any athlete who collapses due to trauma to the chest must be immediately examined for a pulse. If there is no pulse, prompt CPR and the simultaneous use of an AED (automatic external defibrillator) are the best lifesaving treatments.

The defibrillator will detect the abnormal rhythm and ventricular fibrillation and shock the heart to bring it back to normal.

When the heart isn’t beating properly or is experiencing ventricular fibrillation, it is indicating that the brain isn’t getting enough oxygen. Dr. Elfrey explains that timely diagnosis and treatment are crucial for survival and recovery.

According to Cleveland ClinicThe following tests can be used to diagnose commotio Cordis:

We are glad to report that Hamlin was subject to a complete medical examination and several cardiac, neurological, vascular testing before leaving the hospital.

Next: Doctors Name the 7 Types of Heart Conditions You Should Know About—and What to Understand About Each

Sources

• Kaustubh DabhadkarA cardiologist with experience in preventive cardiology

• Kate Elfrey, D.O.Mercy’s Heart Center at Mercy cardiologist, Dr.

• Madias, C., Maron, B. J., Dau, N., Estes, N. A. M., 3rd, Bir, C., & Link, M. S. (2018). The most important determinant of chest blow-induced Commotio Cordis is size Medicine and science in sports, exercise and medicine, 50(9), 1767–1771. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001630

• Virani, S. S., Alonso, A., Aparicio, H. J., Benjamin, E. J., Bittencourt, M. S., Callaway, C. W., Carson, A. P., Chamberlain, A. M., Cheng, S., Delling, F. N., Elkind, M. S. V., Evenson, K. R., Ferguson, J. F., Gupta, D. K., Khan, S. S., Kissela, B. M., Knutson, K. L., Lee, C. D., Lewis, T. T., … Tsao, C. W. (2021). Heart disease and stroke statistics—2021 update. Circulation, 143(8). https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000000950

• Cleveland Clinic: “Commotio Cordis”