Damar Hamlin makes ‘substantial improvement’ after on-field cardiac arrest, doctors say

The good news continued for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Thursday afternoon as doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said he has made ‘substantial improvement’ after suffering a cardiac arrest during Monday’s game against the Bengals.

‘He is beginning to awaken and it appears his neurological condition and function is intact,’ said UC College of Medicine’s Dr. Timothy Pritts in a video press conference.

Hamlin had been sedated following his on-field resuscitation on Monday, but began communicating with doctors in writing Wednesday as his verbal communication remains impeded by his breathing tube. The 24-year-old defensive back even asked doctors who won Monday’s game, which was postponed indefinitely after he collapsed in the first quarter.

‘Our response was: Damar, you won,’ Pritts told reporters. ‘You won the game of life.’

Damar Hamlin is awake and showing signs of improvement after suffering a cardiac arrest and being resuscitated during Monday’s Bills-Bengals game in Cincinnati

Both Pritts and University of Cincinnati’s Dr. William Knight said the speed of medics’ response to Hamlin’s collapse on Monday was critical in saving the Pittsburgh native’s life. 

Physicians were by Hamlin’s side within a minute of his collapse and immediately realized that he did not have a pulse. 

‘There are injuries that happen in sports, but it’s rare to have something [that] incredibly serious [that quickly],’ Pritts said. ‘We cannot credit [the Bills medical] team enough.’

‘It’s been a long and difficult road for the last three days,’ Knight said. ‘[Hamlin] has made a pretty remarkable improvement.’

Despite his improvement, it’s not clear when Hamlin will his breathing tube removed.

‘Every patient is different,’ Knight said. ‘When patients’ families ask, how long are they going to be on a ventilator, in the ICU, [we’ll say], as long as it takes.’ 

Pritts said the ‘best outcome’ would be for Hamlin to resume ‘being the person he was before this all happened.’

University of Cincinnati doctors addressed the media about Hamlin’s condition on Thursday

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) and the Buffalo Bills react as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) is tended to on the field after a collision in the first quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium

The good news comes as the 12-3 Bills are preparing to host the New England Patriots on Sunday. Buffalo still has a chance to wrestle the top seed in the AFC playoffs away from the 13-3 Kansas City Chiefs, depending on whether or not the NFL orders last week’s game against Cincinnati to be completed.

One option is to cancel the remainder of the Bills-Bengals game, and use winning percentage to determine playoff seeding in the AFC. Such a move would give the Chiefs the edge on securing the first-round bye and home-field advantage in the postseason. 

Of course, football is hardly most pressing matter as Hamlin continues to recover and other players face the daunting task of returning to the field. 

The NFL and its players’ union have made mental-health resources available to players and coaches across the league. 

‘I think it is certainly key that we acknowledge how great a strain this places on everyone involved,’ NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, told reporters this week. 

‘Certainly, the teams, the medical care providers, the staffs — and this is not just for Buffalo and Cincinnati — but across all our teams.

‘We have resources at each of our clubs, and we’ve emphasized preparation in this way. Our clubs have deployed those resources with their counselors and their mental health professionals. And that support extends throughout the entire NFL family, and it will be an ongoing need. This is something that will continue and it’s something we will continue to emphasize.’

The NFL and its players’ union made mental-health resources available to players and coaches across the league. ‘I think it is certainly key that we acknowledge how great a strain this places on everyone involved,’ NFL’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills (pictured), told reporters