re: Bills 3 @ Bengals 7 1st Qtr - ESPN

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"So when someone goes down suddenly, it's an actual cardiac arrest," said Dr. Roderick Tung of Banner Health. "Which is obvious because Damar Hamlin tried to stand up and then basically lost all body tone."

Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin's heart wasn't beating properly, creating a dangerous, sometimes deadly situation.

"The rhythm is completely disorganized, chaotic, and the heart isn't able to generate contractions," described Dr. Tung. "It's quivering if you think about it that way."

For eight minutes at least, the nation watched, waited, and prayed. The moment was scary, and some wonder why now.

"So did he have something pre-existing or already present that created a weakness or susceptibility that caused this, that was my first thought," said Dr. Byrne.

Byrne said doctors are now most likely running tests to figure out the cause.

If there is an underlying cause, it could be anything from an abnormality or weakness in the heart muscle to an electrical system issue with the heart.

There also is talk about it being a condition called commotio cordis, or a bruise to the heart muscle caused by blunt force trauma. Byrne said while not impossible, it still would be pretty rare because the hit would have to come at a very specific moment as the heart beats.

What is known though, is that the quick thinking of the medical personnel on the field may have helped save Hamlin's life. Even though it lasted at least eight minutes, that assistance may have been what helped him.

"That's a long resuscitation," said Byrne. "But if you're executing good CPR, brain and organ function should be fine."

"The longer you go, every second, minute that goes by, the chances of a full neurologic recovery are drastically diminished," said Dr. Tung.

While it appeared CPR was quickly administered, what isn't known is how long Hamlin was without a heartbeat.

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"What's not clear is when he's getting CPR, is when he had defibrillation," Tung said. "So the first thing is to see if they restored the heart rhythm back which it appears they did. Then they have to see if there's been any brain damage from all of this and if there's any lung damage because you can get secondary pneumonia from this."

As doctors administer the tests, the next 24-48 hours are critical.

Byrne said doctors have most likely done targeted temperature management with Hamlin, cooling his body to help with saving his life and help with preserving brain function. After at least 24 hours, they'll begin to wake him up and see how he responds.

"Because when you have CPR, the oxygenation to the brain is limited," he said. "And that's what the testing is and that goes for a minimum of 24 hours."

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