Emergency Medical Response to Damar Hamlin Was Captured on Audio

After the Buffalo Bills defense back, there was radio traffic Damar Hamlin collapsed on On Monday night, Cincinnati’s field was alive with urgency.

“I don’t like how he went down,” One person stated on A channel which appears to Included medical personnel on You can watch from the sidelines.

Seconds later, the gravity of Hamlin’s condition became clearer, another person was more emphatic.

“We’re going to need everybody,” he declared. “All-call, all-call,” This is the red alert equivalent to a warning.

First person to cut in: “Call, bring everybody. We need an airway doctor, everybody. Bring the cot with the medics.”

These recordings captured the pleas and were posted to YouTube on An open-access website which tracks emergency radio traffic. These were some of the first moments of emergency response. to The N.F.L. was rocked by a life-threatening emergency Paycor Stadium, as well as millions of others watching, was rocked by a life-threatening crisis on “Monday Night Football.” For approximately half an hour, the stadium was occupied by a small group of emergency workers, including doctors, trainers, and athletic coaches. to You can save HamlinHe went into cardiac arrest following a hit. to While tackling a Cincinnati Bengals receiver, the chest is exposed.

The University of Cincinnati will host a Thursday afternoon clinic for doctors. Medical Center Hamlin Was “awake and breathing,” He was unable to speak due to his breathing tube and asked him in writing who won the match between the Bengals and Bills.

The N.F.L. and the Bills Hamlin’s family have not definitively said what caused the 24-year-old player’s heart to stop beating, though the league’s chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills, said this week that it “certainly is possible” The blow was responsible. to The chest. Photographs, audio and video recordings of emergency staff talking on Radio channels highlight the seriousness of Hamlin’s condition and the efforts to You must keep him alive.

For example, a coworker calls at 9:20 to ask for an attachment measuring carbon dioxide levels.

“We do have the other monitor with us,” A person will respond.

First person to answer emphatically is: “I need an end-tidal CO2 now per the doc.”

He is informed that the device is used to measure the patient’s ability to breathe. on The way he speaks back is the best. “Yeah, you need to step it up.”

In Cincinnati, the first few minutes offer a glimpse into the N.F.L. prepared for an episode like the one at Paycor Stadium — a crisis that people around football both privately saw as inevitable and hoped would never come. The N.F.L. The N.F.L. and its teams are the stewards for a violent sport which hinges on Many collisions result in millions of dollars. ensure that dozens of medical personnel They are required to be present at every game. Those people undergo extensive training so they can follow detailed protocols, some of which are mandated by the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

One Monday morning, an so-called physician for airway management was on Hand to Help keep Hamlin alive. The doctor, a specialist in anesthesia or emergency medicine, is available to help players who have stopped breathing. It is a time-consuming process. Hamlin A loaded in an ambulance on Field on He had CPR on Monday and was doing well, according to his family. to Bills had his heart reopened.

“There’s an old joke: If you’re going to have a cardiac arrest, have it at an airport or a football stadium,” According to Dr. Rob Glatter. emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital Who has worked on Five seasons as the Jets’ sideline during home games “If you’re on the sidelines and you go down, if you’re a photographer, whatever you’re doing, your expectations of survival dramatically increase because of all the experts and equipment around.”

According to About 30 N.F.L. doctors, and trainers are on hand for the games. Many, including the primary care doctor, the trainers, the orthopedists, and the coach, are also associated with teams. The team is supported by neurotrauma experts who treat concussions.

They communicate using hand-held radios. On game days, N.F.L. Stadiums serve as a hub of communication networks that connect everyone, including radio and television broadcasters. to Headsets for coaches to emergency responders. The Sunday Review reported that the transmissions were about Hamlin on A public site that tracks radio traffic on emergency frequency frequencies. Time stamps on These recordings are identical to the actual sequence of events. on They are also on the Cincinnati field, which helps to confirm their authenticity.

This was often an instant-to-moment response. Emergency Workers circulated the word about the decision to Postponed the game and sought supplies. to In one instance, a Bills doctor. to Reach the airport to join the flight crew.

Two minutes later, the ambulance was carrying. Hamlin Radio traffic received a call from emergency personnel requesting assistance in the car as it was being rolled onto the ground.

“I need another medic in the back,” One is often heard saying. “We are right outside the gate,” He adds another few seconds later.

According to Radio transmissions indicated that local police officials had expected an ambulance to arrive. to Leave the stadium as soon as possible. According to the report, the ambulance didn’t leave the stadium for the hospital until 9:23 PM. to Radio traffic was heard more than ten minutes after the vehicle left the field. One news story stated that officials were looking for the vehicle. to Do not wait Hamlin’s mother before departing the stadium, but the radio traffic suggests she traveled separately to The hospital.

The N.F.L. The N.F.L. to This could explain why the delay appears, however doctors who had worked at N.F.L. Games said that it was possible. Hamlin There were additional problems in an ambulance. Emergency workers might have requested assistance if, for example, the breathing tube had been damaged. to Fix it when the ambulance is parked and not while you drive. on It is possible to travel on bumpy roads. According to them, ambulances are as capable as emergency rooms.

“Once the pulse is back, you want to transport him as soon as possible,” Dr. Glatter is the emergency medicine doctor. “Sometimes, they delay transport if a patient is dropping. It can happen where one of the paramedics will hold the driver until he’s more stable.”

In the judgment of the N.F.L., Monday’s emergency and its aftermath were at once frightening and vindicating, evidence that detailed planning could — maybe — limit football’s fallout.

Dr. Matthew Matava is an ortho surgeon from Washington University in St. Louis and was head doctor of the Rams’ team until their move. to Los Angeles in 2016, said the league’s preparations for such emergencies were “incredibly thorough.”

However, he said that emergency planners, doctors and athletic trainers often have their eyes on the athletes. on The injuries are most likely to Any given N.F.L. including hamstring strains, ligament tears and concussions. Even though rehearsals and meetings are routinely covered for the possibility of cardiac emergencies, Dr. Matava stated that. “it is not the top one, two or three things that we’re going to think about as far as the most common injuries.”

However, teams were still concerned and devoted some time to the preseason. to Practice what you have just learned. to Do so in the event of cardiac arrest.

“We get down to the details: how you access the chest, how you open the jersey and the shoulder pads, when do you remove the helmet and shoulder pads, who is doing CPR, who is putting on the defibrillator pads,” Dr. Jonathan A. Drezner is a Seattle Seahawks team physician and director of the Center for Sports Cardiology. “All of these are fine details that we discuss and hope we never have to live in real time.”

Although the league and its players’ union have long feared a cardiac emergency in players, the mandate for an airway specialist is relatively new, reflecting football’s risks and heightened recognition of its perils.

Similar situations have occurred in other professional leagues. Chris Pronger was a St. Louis Blues defenceman who suffered a heart attack when a puck was thrown at his chest. Pronger was found alive. to Commotio cordis is a serious form of cordis. to the chest at a precise moment in the heart’s rhythm can stop its beating.

“It’s not so much if, but when, you’re dealing with emergency preparedness for sports injuries like this, especially with the number of collisions and the force involved with N.F.L. football,” Dr. Matava said.

Dmitriy Khavin and Ainara Tiefenthäler contributed production. Dahlia Kozlowsky Participation in research.