Damar Hamlin has a 50/50 chance of returning to the field, doctors told DailyMail.com today as the player finally woke up after cheating death.
The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety can move his hands and feet and communicates in writing with doctors, with the medical team treating him describing the player as “neurologically sound.”
Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a top cardiologist at Mount Sinai, told DailyMail.com that he expected Hamlin would likely make a “full recovery” and return to normal life.
But while Hamlin could theoretically play again, Dr. Bhatt that the league doctors may in fact be reluctant to medically clear him for reinstatement for months.
Doctors say there is a 50/50 chance that Hamlin will return to the field. Pictured: Josh Allen was understandably shaken after Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field
Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a top cardiologist at Mount Sinai Heart in New York City, told DailyMail.com whether Hamlin returns to the sport depends on the risk the NFL and the player are willing to take.
Hamlin collapsed lifeless after a tackle on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins on Monday night, in chilling scenes broadcast to millions of Americans.
Dr. Bhatt and many other doctors believe Hamlin suffered from commotio cordis, an extremely rare condition that affects only a few hundred Americans.
Freak injury occurs when the heart is hit at a precise angle and timing during the pumping process, preventing blood flow through the body, shutting down the brain, and causing cardiac arrest.
This is usually seen in children whose chests are not as hard, and has not previously been reported in professional athletes like Hamlin.
DR Bhatt said: “Commotio cordis, when it actually happened, is very rare.
“There have been a few cases of recurrence reported, but again we are talking about rare incidents.
“If I had to guess, there’s maybe a 50 percent chance he’ll be cleared to play again and a 50 percent chance he won’t.
“It really depends on how much risk the NFL is willing to take and how willing the team doctor would be to sign him back to the game, recognizing that no one can really quantify the exact risks of a return to the game .” ‘
When asked how long it might take before he returns to the field, Dr. Bhatt added: “If his doctors, including the team doctors, all give him the go-ahead to play again, they’ll probably still want him to wait at least a couple of months. I would like to repeat a series of tests and if everything is normal, think about it and adjust.’
The rare injury occurs when something hits the chest wall just as the lower chambers of the heart refill with blood. The impact then causes a rapid and disorganized contraction of the heart’s lower chambers, preventing the heart from supplying blood to the rest of the body. The time window for this is only 20 milliseconds, making commotio cordis incredibly rare. Only 30 people worldwide suffer from the injury each year, and only about 200 cases have been reported among Americans. It has been observed in young baseball or hockey players who received a hit in the middle of their chest with a baseball or hockey stick
It is not clear how long it will take for Hamlin to recover from the illness and return to play in the NFL.
However, doctors expect him to spend at least a week to 10 days in the hospital unless underlying conditions are diagnosed.
His situation is similar to that of Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen, who collapsed in 2021 after suffering a cardiac arrest during a match.
The player was released from hospital after six days, but was not allowed to return to football until eight months after his collapse.
He returned to the English Premier League to play for Brentford after being forced to sign from his then team Inter Milan.
Doctors expect him to be in the hospital between a week and 10 days ahead of time
Doctors have yet to reveal what caused Hamlin’s on-field cardiac arrest.
But if it turns out to be commotio cordis, they will probably have a hard time deciding whether he can return to the sport.
Because the condition has never been seen in an athlete of Hamlin’s caliber, doctors must make sure he is not at risk of injury again.
Doctors answer the most pressing questions about Damar Hamlin
Doctors believe the 24-year-old suffered a freak injury in which the heart beat at a precise angle and timing during the pumping process, preventing blood from flowing through the body.
Speaking about the update on Hamlin’s condition, Dr. Bhatt said it was “good to read” that his brain function appeared to be intact.
“Brain damage is a major risk in cardiac arrest,” he said.
“Had he avoided this complication for a young, healthy, athletic individual who was resuscitated very quickly, I would expect a full recovery and eventual return to normal life.”
It was feared the player may have suffered brain damage after his heart stopped pumping blood through his body.
Brain tissue begins to die within minutes of being deprived of oxygen, with damage resulting in lifelong disability.
But today medics who treated the player said: “Although he remains seriously ill, he has shown that he appears to be neurologically intact.”
DURING an update this afternoon from the Cincinnati Medical Center, where he is being treated, doctors said the player has made a “significant improvement.”
Dr. William Knight, an expert on hospital emergency care, told reporters: “It’s been a long and difficult journey over the last three days.
‘[But] he has made quite a remarkable improvement.’
Hamlin is currently viewed critically by medical specialists.
They will only upgrade it to Stable if the player is no longer on a ventilator and shows stronger neural and respiratory signals.
He can’t speak right now because of the ventilator, but he was able to write a question for the doctors about whether his team won the game.
Medical specialists took this as a sign that “not only is the light on, but he is home.”
Dr. Knight added: “When we talk about neurologically intact, it’s a very broad term for gross motor movements and following commands.
“As we talk about the finer things that make us human — cognition, emotion, speech, language, etc. — we look forward to learning more about them soon.”
During the first quarter of Monday’s game, Hamlin collapsed on the field after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Footage of the event shows him falling to the ground and getting back up before collapsing back to the ground.
Paramedics and an ambulance rushed in to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation as players and millions of viewers watched in horror.
The safety was revived on the field and then taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treatment.
Doctors heavily sedated the athlete and put him on a ventilator with 100 percent oxygen.
Some medical professionals have suggested that they may have cooled his body as well, lowering body temperature to 89 to 93 F (32 to 34 C) to preserve brain function and limit damage to the body.
After a series of tests, doctors began to ease his anesthesia so they could see if he had suffered any neurological damage.
But an update released today by Hamlin’s team, the Buffalo Bills, said: “Damar has improved remarkably over the past 24 hours.
“While he remains critically ill, he has shown that he appears to be neurologically intact.
“His lungs continue to heal and he is making steady progress.”
They added: “We are grateful for the love and support we have received.”
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
