Damar Hamlin's ability to communicate signals 'turning point'
The Buffalo Bills safety was on track for neurological recovery, but could still face injuries to other organs, including his lungs.
Damar Hamlin's ability to communicate with medical staff and family members after suffering cardiac arrest on Monday night bodes well for his brain's recovery , according to the doctors treating him and external medical experts.
"This marks a very good turning point in his continued care," said Dr. William Knight IV, Director of emergency medicine at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, which has treated Mr. Hamlin since he collapsed on the field during a Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game. "But he still has significant progress to make."
While experts have reason to anticipate Mr Hamlin could be on track for recovery neurologically, questions remain about the health of his other organs, including his lungs.
At a press conference on Thursday, Dr. Knight and Dr. Timothy A Pritts said Mr Hamlin was still seriously ill, was in intensive care and was still lightly sedated and on a ventilator, and therefore unable to speak. But he can now communicate by shaking his head and nodding. He even wrote a question on a pad of paper, asking his nurse who won the game.
Dr. Knight and Dr Pritts said at the press conference that they did not yet know why Mr Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during the game. But one explanation they haven't ruled out is that he had incredible bad luck when he collided with a Bengals receiver, receiving a severe blow to the chest. When this happens at exactly the right time of 20 milliseconds in the heart cycle, when the organ relaxes and fills with blood, the blow can cause the heart to stop.
The consequences can be disastrous even if, as in Mr. Hamlin's case, the person receives immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation and their heart is restarted with a defibrillator.
"The big problem in cardiac arrest is not blood flow to the brain," said Dr. Andrew Luks, a critical care and respiratory specialist at the University of Washington, who is not involved in Mr. Hamlin's care.
While it is impossible to do a full neurological assessment while Mr. Hamlin is on a ventilator, "the fact that he is following orders and communicates in writing is very reassuring," said Dr. Luks. "The likelihood of serious neurological damage is very low."
"There is every reason to believe that he will return to normal neurological function," said Dr. Michael Mack, president of Cardiovascular Services at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas.
Another major concern when someone experiences cardiac arrest is damage to the lungs, a serious injury called acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS. A study found that nearly half of people who suffered cardiac arrest developed the disease.
Sometimes CPR injures the lungs during repetitive, deep compressions of the chest wall. Patients can also breathe gastric fluids or saliva into their lungs, injuring them. And impaired blood flow during CPR can contribute to lung damage.
Mr. H...
The Buffalo Bills safety was on track for neurological recovery, but could still face injuries to other organs, including his lungs.
Damar Hamlin's ability to communicate with medical staff and family members after suffering cardiac arrest on Monday night bodes well for his brain's recovery , according to the doctors treating him and external medical experts.
"This marks a very good turning point in his continued care," said Dr. William Knight IV, Director of emergency medicine at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, which has treated Mr. Hamlin since he collapsed on the field during a Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals game. "But he still has significant progress to make."
While experts have reason to anticipate Mr Hamlin could be on track for recovery neurologically, questions remain about the health of his other organs, including his lungs.
At a press conference on Thursday, Dr. Knight and Dr. Timothy A Pritts said Mr Hamlin was still seriously ill, was in intensive care and was still lightly sedated and on a ventilator, and therefore unable to speak. But he can now communicate by shaking his head and nodding. He even wrote a question on a pad of paper, asking his nurse who won the game.
Dr. Knight and Dr Pritts said at the press conference that they did not yet know why Mr Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during the game. But one explanation they haven't ruled out is that he had incredible bad luck when he collided with a Bengals receiver, receiving a severe blow to the chest. When this happens at exactly the right time of 20 milliseconds in the heart cycle, when the organ relaxes and fills with blood, the blow can cause the heart to stop.
The consequences can be disastrous even if, as in Mr. Hamlin's case, the person receives immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation and their heart is restarted with a defibrillator.
"The big problem in cardiac arrest is not blood flow to the brain," said Dr. Andrew Luks, a critical care and respiratory specialist at the University of Washington, who is not involved in Mr. Hamlin's care.
While it is impossible to do a full neurological assessment while Mr. Hamlin is on a ventilator, "the fact that he is following orders and communicates in writing is very reassuring," said Dr. Luks. "The likelihood of serious neurological damage is very low."
"There is every reason to believe that he will return to normal neurological function," said Dr. Michael Mack, president of Cardiovascular Services at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas.
Another major concern when someone experiences cardiac arrest is damage to the lungs, a serious injury called acute respiratory distress syndrome or ARDS. A study found that nearly half of people who suffered cardiac arrest developed the disease.
Sometimes CPR injures the lungs during repetitive, deep compressions of the chest wall. Patients can also breathe gastric fluids or saliva into their lungs, injuring them. And impaired blood flow during CPR can contribute to lung damage.
Mr. H...
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