NFL Director of Emergency Preparedness reveals how Man United star Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest influenced league’s handling of Damar Hamlin
Damar Hamlin's injury during Monday night's contest between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was rather unprecedented on a football field. It was not, however, unprecedented for the sports world.
Manchester United star Christian Eriksen collapsed similarly on a soccer field while playing for Denmark and was taken off the field.
According to NFL reporter Stephania Bell, the NFL's Director of Emergency Preparedness, Dr. Jim Ellis, was at the game where Eriksen collapsed.
It has influenced a change in how the NFL operates, which has suddenly come into play with Hamlin.
On NFL call this evening, Dr. Jim Ellis, NFL Director of Emergency Preparedness, shared a particular tweak made to the NFL EAP this year. Last year Ellis was attending the Euros at Wembley, the same tournament where Christian Eriksen suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
Bell tweeted:
"On NFL call this evening, Dr. Jim Ellis, NFL Director of Emergency Preparedness, shared a particular tweak made to the NFL EAP this year. Last year Ellis was attending the Euros at Wembley, the same tournament where Christian Eriksen suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest."
She also added that Ellis said:
“In a cardiac arrest situation you do not want any kind of question around who’s doing what or any uncertainty about who’s bringing the defibrillator, etc…so we sent out a memo in the preseason saying always at the 60-minute mtg you need to designate that code leader.”
While there are differences in the situations, it is still beneficial that Ellis witnessed the incident and that Eriksen recovered rather quickly.
Hamlin remains in critical condition, but the fact that a cardiac arrest was even on the NFL's radar thanks to Eriksen was an absolute blessing in disguise.
What happened to Damar Hamlin?
Damar Hamlin made a tackle on Tee Higgins during the first quarter of their Monday night contest. He got up and immediately collapsed and needed several minutes of CPR.
It's unclear exactly what happened, though many doctors believe he suffered commotio cordis, which is a very rare condition. After he was resuscitated, Hamlin was transported to the hospital immediately.
He remains in critical condition, though those working with him and those around him believe he is trending upwards and heading in the right direction. He still has a long way to go for a recovery, though.
In the meantime, Hamlin's GoFundMe toy drive has seen a huge uptick in donations.