What caused Buffalo Bills’ player Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest? Doctors speculate, shed light on frightening ordeal

While Buffalo Bills football player Damar Hamlin continues to fight for his life, doctors have begun speculating and shedding light on what may have caused the 24-year-old to suffer from a cardiac arrest during Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was postponed and the Bills confirmed on Monday that Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest. Hamlin was listed in critical condition as of early Tuesday morning.

The Bills safety appeared to make a routine tackle of Bengals’ wide receiver Tee Higgins during the first quarter, though the aftermath was far from typical. Hamlin, who recorded 91 prior tackles this season, promptly rose to his feet before falling backward onto the ground.

He laid motionless before he was administered CPR and was subsequently stretchered off the field and transported to a nearby Cincinnati hospital. Now, doctors think they may know why the frightening ordeal took place.

“Commotio Cordis” is seen mostly in athletes between the ages of eight and 18 who are partaking in sports with projectiles such as baseballs, hockey pucks, or lacrosse balls, according to the University of Connecticut’s Korey Stringer Institute. In this case, Higgins, who stands at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds and runs nearly 20 mph, served as the projectile which struck Hamlin’s chest.

According to Dr. Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, the blow may have come during an especially vulnerable moment in the heart’s electrical cycle, triggering the rare condition. St. Louis Blues hockey player Chris Pronger suffered from the rare occurrence after he was struck by a puck during a game in 1998 — he made a full recovery and went on to continue a Hall of Fame career.

Medical personnel were able to restore Hamlin’s heartbeat on Monday night and his vitals are back to normal, though he was placed on a ventilator, according to reports.

According to Dr. Rajesh Dash, an associate professor in cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, an arrhythmia from blunt trauma is another potential cause for Hamlin’s injury. Dash also speculated that an aneurysm or a previously undetected heart defect could be to blame.

As for Hamlin’s prognosis, it likely depends on how long he was in cardiac arrest, according to Dr. Anthony Cardillo, an emergency room specialist.

“The primary concern is the length of time that he was not having cardiac activity,” Cardillo said. “Every second counts.”

Cardillo explained that medical staff will likely slowly start weaning Hamlin off a ventilator over the next 12 to 24 hours to determine whether he can breathe on his own.

“We know that he’s a young 24, healthy, conditioned athlete. He’s in the greatest possible situation to come back to a normal life at this point, but our prayers are with him to make sure he does recover like that,” Cardillo said.

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