While playing in the Buffalo Bills – Cincinnati Bengals game on Monday Night Football on January 2, Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest after a hit and was administered CPR on the field before being transferred to an area hospital.
Hamlin reportedly experienced a cardiac arrest – when the heart stops abruptly with little or no warning. Early recognition of cardiac arrest improves the person’s chance of survival and is key to starting the correct care of CPR and the appropriate use of defibrillation to restart the heart. The on-site medical team evaluated the situation and appeared to quickly remove his safety pads, begin CPR and apply the automated external defibrillator (AED).
CPR can help keep the heart pumping and blood flowing to vital organs until an electrical shock from a defibrillator is available to restore the heart to a normal heart rhythm. Then the patient can be safely moved for further medical treatment, supportive care, testing to determine what the cause of the arrest may have been and recovery, including both physical and mental health resources for the person and their family.
Possible causes
Cardiac arrest can have several causes. Since Hamlin collapsed immediately following a tackle on the play, one potential cause could be commotio cordis. Commotio cordis is a rare phenomenon from a sudden blunt impact to the chest causing sudden death in the absence of apparent cardiac damage. The blow to the chest at precisely the wrong time in the cardiac cycle causes an electrical abnormality in the heart resulting in an irregular heart rhythm that cannot pump blood to the body. Immediate CPR and a shock to reset the rhythm can help the heartbeat return to normal function.
Another cause of cardiac arrest that additional tests are likely to attempt to detect or rule out is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) or a thickened heart muscle – a more common cause of sudden cardiac death in young people and athletes specifically. The thickened heart can be due to a genetic condition or can be caused by athletic conditioning that thickens the muscles of the heart and can make it more susceptible to an irregular heart rhythm like ventricular fibrillation/tachycardia.
“This was traumatic for everyone, especially Hamlin’s family and teammates but also for so many others involved and witnessing the event. More than 70% of cardiac arrests that do not happen in the hospital, occur in a home where access to medical professionals and an AED is not as readily available,” said Mariell Jessup, M.D., FAHA, chief science and medical officer of the American Heart Association. “Recognizing a cardiac arrest, calling 911 immediately, performing CPR and using an AED as soon as it is available are critical for survival.
Statistically speaking, it is likely that the person will need to be helped by a family member or a friend to survive.”
Having community members trained in CPR and AEDs in public spaces can increase the chances of survival. The rate of bystander CPR in North America is estimated at only 39-44%, and only about 1 in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Improving the rate of bystander CPR is critical to increasing survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).
The skill to perform CPR and use a defibrillator are the foundational components of preparing laypeople to respond to cardiac arrest. People also need to feel emotionally prepared to respond and be able to cope with the aftermath of performing CPR.
Resources for learning CPR
Each year in the United States, an estimated 350,000 people experience sudden cardiac arrest in the community. Anyone who witnesses a cardiac arrest in the community (i.e., not in a hospital) can perform CPR. Roughly 70% of cardiac arrests that do not happen in the hospital, occur in homes and private residences, therefore, a friend or family member is mostly likely to be the person who needs to take action. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double, or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.
For adults and adolescent children, Hands-Only CPR is an easy-to-learn skill that requires only two steps: call emergency services and push hard and fast in the center of the chest at a rate of 100-120 beats per minute.
For more information, visit heart.org
opportunity to live a full and healthy life” said Owen Billman, chair of the Greater Washington Region Board of Directors and president of Blake Real Estate. 
Once Blakely was taken to the NICU, it was a few hours before even her dad could go and see her. Of course, they had to try and figure out what was going on, and that is all that mattered. Figuring out what in the world was happening to my perfect baby. Shortly thereafter, some doctors came to speak with us. They said they believe it to be something going on with her heart, that it could be Truncus Arteriosus, but they weren’t really for sure. They were going to consult with some other hospitals to figure it out. How could something be wrong with her heart when we were just told weeks before that Blakely’s heart was perfect? After what seemed like a lifetime, the Pediatric Cardiologist that told us that he had consulted with UVA and that Blakely had what is called Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia. They would be sending her to UVA by jet once their NETS team arrived to get her. Once the doctor stepped out of the room, he took a phone call. It was UVA. My aunt was still outside of the room and heard him tell the doctors at UVA, “I missed it. I didn’t see it before but looking back I see it now.” How could he have told us that Blakely’s heart was perfect when in fact it wasn’t? At this point all that mattered was that my daughter was alive and doing fairly well. I knew she would be transported to UVA where they could hopefully give her the help she needed. We finally got to go upstairs and see Blakely. She was precious – the most beautiful baby you ever saw. Fiery red hair, perfect little fingers and toes. The NICU at JCMC doesn’t usually let underage siblings back to visit, but they made a special exception for Blakely’s sister.
ve to re-intubate her. The elevator couldn’t go fast enough. The people on it with me probably wondered what in the world was going on with me.
She spent Christmas at home. We learned EVERYTHING about our daughter. The good, the bad and the ugly. What to do when the “ugly” happened. January 11th, 2017, we made our way back to UVA for appointments. Two days’ worth of appointments was what was in store for us. But on the last day, Friday, January 13th, I knew something was wrong. She was throwing up more and she was lethargic. Finally, at our last appointment the other doctors were able to see the change in her as well. The doctor called over from the Battle Building to the Hospital and the Pegasus Ground Critical Care came and got her and transported her by ambulance to the ER. Her glucose was unreadable on the machine, her oxygen wouldn’t pick up, and after two failed IO’s the PICU attending just wanted her on the PICU floor. He came down and escorted her himself with three of his nurses. It was touch and go. We heard from multiple people that they didn’t think Blakely would make it that night. But in true Blakely fashion, she didn’t go by the rulebook and made up her own. Every single time they would predict a way that things would go, it would go the opposite.
The summer of 2019 was spent in the hospital with Blakely some. She had two hospitalizations in about a month and a half, and was living her best life the rest of the season. We would go watch movies in town at dusk. She loved getting to snuggle with everyone and watching Spongebob in her bed. She loved to feel the wind blowing her hair and would always give us the biggest smile. Even with severe HIE Blakely had the biggest personality. You knew when she liked something and DEFINITELY knew when she didn’t. She would hear Dennis or I come into a room and her head would automatically turn towards us. She was working towards weaning off the vent to hopefully decannulation. She was scheduled for her Make A Wish trip in November of 2019. Everything was going perfect. On August 9th,2019, Blakely showed me signs of yet another infection. With her, signs of infection weren’t what they would normally be in another child. Her temperature would drop instead of rise. It would get as low as 92 degrees with a UTI. With her having a lower temperature and some other signs, I decided to take her to Nisewonger’s again because I just knew something was off. Call it a mother’s instinct.
Kids who are medically complex and have special needs (and their parents) only want one thing: to be treated normal. They want friends, they want invited to birthday parties. They want Christmas at home and any other normal thing that comes along the way. Even if they are nonverbal, say “Hi”. Talk to them as you would talk to anyone else. Get to know them. Understand that it’s difficult on their parents too, even if they are holding it together really well.
ow Top Chef and is known for his take on classic American cuisine. Richard was the runner-up for the fourth season of Top Chef and returned several seasons later to win Top Chef: All-Stars. Chef Blais will prepare Huevos Rancheros.
Health around blood pressure awareness and control for its patients. The mission of Neighborhood Health is to improve health and advance health equity across Northern Virginia in Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax by providing high quality primary care regardless of ability to pay. Within the system there are 12 clinics that service residents in need with services ranging from family practice, internal medicine, dental care and behavioral health.
Funds raised by the campaign lead to medical breakthroughs, transform healthcare systems, support stronger public health policy, and much more.
In a victory for active transportation and a healthier community, on May 21 the Montgomery County Council approved approximately $30 million to support bicycle and pedestrian programs in their 2021 capital budget.
our country. Our top priority regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) is the health and well-being of all individuals and their families today and in the future, in every community, everywhere. Millions of people are counting on us for science-based information, health resources, community programs and patient support. We are continuing our mission-critical work in these challenging times and we know that people with cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension (high blood pressure), are more likely to be seriously impacted by the virus than others.
“Funds raised from this event will go to support cutting edge heart and brain research conducted here in our community as well as quality preventative education programs,” added Vail.
intensive care regaining my ability to speak and move, my twin brother and I had many conversations. We knew we needed to do more, we needed to be purpose driven.
Healthy Market VA, a coalition of organizations representing thousands of Virginians with chronic diseases, small business owners, and older adults spoke out on Tuesday, January 28 at the Virginia State Capitol in Richmond to ensure that preserving life-saving patient protections and strengthening Virginia’s health insurance marketplace are top priorities for lawmakers this session.
Patients shared stories with legislators about how they’ve managed their chronic conditions and why it’s important for Virginia to ensure that pre-existing conditions are protected. Avis Thomas of Richmond, Virginia is mother of four, a kidney transplant recipient, and has suffered life-long health issues. Her children and husband also suffer from chronic health issues. “Nobody signs up to have a pre-existing condition. With all the stressors of life, I can’t seem to shake the hardship of finding affordable and comprehensive healthcare,” she shared.
populations. “As a physician, I see the importance of affordable, high-quality insurance for every person and family, including those with pre-existing conditions, small business owners, and older adults.” says advocate Dr. Nina Solenski from Albemarle County and member of the American Heart Association’s Virginia Advocacy Committee.
Healthy Market VA works to ensure access to affordable, high-quality healthcare coverage for everyone by strengthening Virginia’s health insurance marketplace. It is made up of health organizations including: American Heart Association, AARP Virginia, Arthritis Foundation, VPLC, The Commonwealth Institute, Leukemia Lymphoma Society, American Lung Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Small Business Majority, Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Hemophilia Foundation and the Hemophilia Association of the Capital Area.
