Hamlin was cleared to return to football in April and remains a reserve and special teams player for the Bills (Photo: Instagram)
Bills safety Damar Hamlin is set to start for his team in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo announced, a year after suffering cardiac arrest on the field. The 26-year-old came back to life on the field in front of thousands watching a game in Cincinnati on television in January 2023.
“What else can’t this young man do? He basically went through what he went through on the field — you guys have written about it over and over again — and he bounced back from it,” Bills coach Sean McDermott told reporters. “It’s one thing to bounce back from an ACL injury or a broken bone. It’s another thing to bounce back from what he bounced back from, right? Let alone decide to play football and full-contact football at the NFL level. I don’t think I need to say anything else. It’s incredible.”
Hamlin was diagnosed with commotio cordis, an extremely rare and serious medical condition that can occur after a sudden, forceful impact to the chest, as described by the American Heart Association. He was cleared to return to football in April and remains a backup for the Bills as a safety and special teams player.
After tackling Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, Hamlin stood up, collapsed and fell backward. He had to have his heart restarted on the field before being taken to a hospital.
What is a heart attack?
According to experts, commotio cordis consists of an abnormal heart rhythm, known as ventricular fibrillation, and cardiac arrest that occurs right after a blow to the chest. Doctors say that in most cases, the cause is a blow to the left side of the chest caused by a baseball, hockey ball or lacrosse ball.
Immediate CPR offers the best chance of surviving commotio cordis.
It is an extremely rare disease, meaning “heart agitation,” which disrupts the normal heart rhythm and causes sudden cardiac arrest, which can be fatal if not treated immediately.
According to statistics from the Cleveland Clinic, cases of commotio cordis are extremely rare, with fewer than 30 cases occurring each year. The National Commotio Cordis Registry says the condition has caused sudden death in more than 220 people since 1996, when the registry began.
What causes a heart condition??
Experts say being hit at a 90-degree angle on the left side of the chest, directly over the heart, with a hard object at a speed of 40 to 50 mph can cause this potentially life-threatening condition.
The unexpected blow causes ventricular fibrillation, since when receiving a blow in a short time, the lower chambers of the heart or ventricles stop relaxing after a contraction. The force of the blow can cause the ventricles to contract when they are supposed to be at rest.
Symptoms of a heart attack
According to doctors, some symptoms of commotio cordis include:
- Immediate collapse after receiving a blow to the chest.
- Ventricular fibrillation
- Cardiac arrest
- Unconsciousness
- Shortness of breath
What are the risk factors and complications of commotio cordis?
Doctors say commotio cordis most often occurs in people who:
- Play sports, especially those that involve baseball or other hard objects like hockey.
- They are under 20 years of age
- They are males
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