The Cincinnati Reds present their assist for Damar Hamlin exterior of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame on January 4, 2023, in Cincinnati, OH.
Ian Johnson | Icon Sportswire | Getty Images
NFL security Damar Hamlin’s respiration tube was eliminated and he FaceTimed into a gathering telling his teammates, “Love you boys,” as he continued his restoration after struggling a terrifying cardiac arrest throughout Monday night time’s sport in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals, in keeping with the Buffalo Bills.
The staff tweeted Friday about Hamlin’s medical progress.
“Per the physicians at UCMC, Damar’s breathing tube was removed overnight. He continues to progress remarkably in his recovery. His neurologic function remains intact and he has been able to talk to his family and care team,” one tweet learn.
Another assertion from the staff talked about his interplay along with his teammates.
“Damar Hamlin FaceTimed into our team meeting today to talk to players and coaches. What he said to the team: ‘Love you boys.'” The Bills’ tweet was punctuated by a coronary heart emoji.
Hamlin’s collapse, watched by tens of millions, occurred simply after he tackled a Bengals receiver. It appeared that the receiver’s shoulder struck Hamlin within the chest.
It stays unclear what precisely brought about Hamlin’s cardiac arrest. One chance is a phenomenon referred to as “commotio cordis.”
“Commotio cordis is an incredibly rare event,” Dr. William Knight, professor within the Department of Emergency Medicine on the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, mentioned Thursday. “It’s a diagnosis of exclusion,” that means different circumstances need to be dominated out earlier than it may be decided definitively.
“It is on the list of considerations,” mentioned Knight, who’s a part of a bunch of physicians treating Hamlin.
Normally, the guts pumps oxygen-rich blood all through the physique about each second. There is a rhythm to the method, preserving the blood flowing at a wholesome tempo. Every time the guts beats, there’s a tiny second — lower than a fifth of a second — that makes it weak to the drive of a projectile that may result in a chaotic and probably lethal coronary heart rhythm.
It is on this precise second, specialists say, {that a} blow to the chest within the precise proper place can launch an in any other case wholesome individual into cardiac arrest. The coronary heart’s electrical system malfunctions, and the heartbeat rhythm goes haywire.
It is just too early, Hamlin’s docs say, to find out whether or not he would possibly return to skilled soccer. There is a priority that Hamlin could have inhaled fluid or blood, probably inflicting issues with lung operate.
Upon regaining consciousness, Hamlin, 24, requested: “Did we win?,” his docs mentioned Thursday.
“The answer is yes,” Dr. Timothy Pritts, division chief of common surgical procedure on the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, informed Hamlin. “You won the game of life.”
The NFL introduced late Thursday the sport that was postponed following Hamlin’s collapse on the sector won’t be made up.
The league acknowledged that canceling the sport “creates potential competitive inequities in certain playoff scenarios” and mentioned NFL golf equipment will contemplate a decision at a particular league assembly Friday.
Part of that decision may contain the Jan. 29 AFC Championship Game being performed at a impartial website.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell mentioned in Thursday’s assertion that it has been “a very difficult week” and that the league is concentrated on Hamlin’s restoration.
— Erika Edwards, David Ok. Li and Phil Helsel contributed.