Collapse of NFL player Damar Hamlin highlights importance of AEDs
JACKSON, Tenn. — Monday night, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during the first quarter of the Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills game.
According to the NFL, Hamlin went into cardiac arrest. Health professionals performed CPR before Hamlin was taken to the hospital.
The impact of this incident sheds light on the importance of having automated external defibrillators.
Leaders with Friends of Heart are striving to make Jackson a 4-Minute City, which will train citizens to respond effectively to sudden cardiac arrests in their area.
“CPR. What that’s going to do is try to keep your oxygen flowing and blood flowing. It’s basically trying to buy you some time. The only thing that is going to help a patient in sudden cardiac arrest is a shock to their heart, and so that’s where an automatic external defibrillator, or an AED, comes into play,” said Caitlin Roach-Clark, the Executive Director of Friends of Heart.
Health officials were able provide help to Hamlin after he collapsed on the field. However, in instances where an AED isn’t present, minutes and even seconds can mean life or death.
“For every minute a victim is down with sudden cardiac arrest, that is seven to 10 percent chance off of their survival rate. And as I said earlier, the only thing that’s going to bring them back is that shock from an AED, and so it’s absolutely mission critical,” Roach said.
With time being of the essence, those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest will possibly receive a quicker response time from those trained for the 4-Minute City initiative.
“We’ve actually started responding already. I, myself, went on a call and I beat every first responder there, and it was a real-life emergency. And I don’t have a medical background, but I know enough now,” Roach said.
Friends of Heart is purchasing 250 of the AED devices, and the city is purchasing 100. The goal is to launch 4-Minute City this spring.
To receive AED and CPR training, you can join the CARE Team with Friends of Heart.
“We’ve got a CARE team website that you can sign up. It’s a short little application,” Roach said “It’s avive.life/jackson and that’s how you can sign up to be on our CARE Team. And we have done some trainings, and we’re going to continue to do more.”
Along with 4-Minute City, Friends of Heart is also planning on providing youth in Madison County electrocardiogram screening, which will help detect underlying heart conditions students may not know about.
It will be available to public, private and homeschool students.
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