What People Should Know about Cardiac Arrest

CLEVELAND – After Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest during Monday night’s game against the Bengals, many fans are left with a lot of questions — like what exactly is cardiac arrest?

“Cardiac arrest is a sudden electrical problem with the heart, so the heart electricity becomes so chaotic that the heart can’t beat and pump blood to the rest of the body anymore,” explained Michael Emery, MD, sports cardiologist with Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Emery said cardiac arrest can happen for all kinds of reasons, so it’s hard to say what exactly happened with Damar Hamlin.

That will be for his doctors to determine.

When it comes to cardiac arrest, there are often no warning signs. It just happens suddenly.

However, they can include chest pain, nausea and vomiting and shortness of breath before fainting.

Dr. Emery said since cardiac arrest can be fatal, every second counts, so it’s important the individual receives CPR or defibrillation right away.

“Prompt recognition and prompt defibrillation in the setting of sudden cardiac arrest are keys in survival,” he said. “Your survivability declines 7 to 10 percent for every minute that defibrillation is delayed, or restoration of sinus rhythm or spontaneous circulation is delayed.”

Dr. Emery also notes that it’s too early to talk about Damar Hamlin’s long-term prognosis.

He said there are a lot of factors to consider. Right now, the goal will be keeping him stabilized.