• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
Podcast
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

Damar Hamlin injury: Was it commotio cordis? How to prevent a potentially fatal blow to the heart in young athletes

January 5, 2023
in Article
0
Damar Hamlin injury: Was it commotio cordis? How to prevent a potentially fatal blow to the heart in young athletes
file 20230104 130036 uc4c1u
NFL player Damar Hamlin’s injury during a game on Jan. 2 may have been a heart injury called commotio cordis. Researchers are working on ways to prevent this rare but often fatal sports injury. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

A routine tackle in an NFL game on Jan. 2 almost turned fatal when Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills was injured during a play, leading to cardiac arrest.

After popping up briefly after the play, Hamlin suddenly collapsed. Within seconds, Paycor Stadium, the home of the Cincinnati Bengals, went from a raucous crowd to hearing a pin drop as Hamlin lay unresponsive on the ground, requiring immediate external defibrillation to restart his heart.

This appears to have all the characteristics of commotio cordis. The NFL’s chief medical officer said that is a possibility, but doctors are investigating every possible cause.

Commotio cordis is the result of blunt trauma to the heart and is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death in youth sports. Fatal blows to the heart occur predominately in young athletes with an average age of 13.

A player wearing the number 3 falling onto the field, surrounded by other players
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (85) collides with Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the first half of an NFL football game on Jan. 2 in Cincinnati. Hamlin was injured on the play, and collapsed on the field.
(AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Commotio cordis causes the heart to go into ventricular fibrillation, leading to pump failure. Although rare, this condition is fatal unless immediate resuscitation is conducted. Currently, commotio cordis still occurs despite the use of chest protection.




Read more:
Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest during ‘Monday Night Football’ could be commotio cordis or a more common condition – a heart doctor answers 4 questions


As a PhD student in biomedical engineering, I specialize in commotio cordis. My colleagues and I research how we can create safer chest protectors and safety regulations to prevent this tragic incident from occurring in sports globally.

While commotio cordis predominately occurs in youth sports, it can happen at all ages. Survival rates have increased over the years, but commotio cordis is still often fatal.

Table of Contents

  • The perfect storm
  • Developing new commotio cordis injury metrics
  • Identifying vulnerable impact locations
  • Optimizing commotio cordis safety standards

The perfect storm

People seen from behind, crouching around an unseen person on a field.
Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin is examined after collapsing during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2.
(AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Previous pig model studies established a series of conditions that must be met simultaneously in order for commotio cordis to occur:

  1. The impact must occur over or around the heart,

  2. the impact speed ranges from 48 to 80 kph (30 to 50 mph), and

  3. the impact occurs during the vulnerable period of the cardiac cycle which is approximately 20 milliseconds in length, just before the peak of the T-wave on an electrocardiogram.

The only known treatment for commotio cordis is immediate defibrillation, and the quicker an athlete’s heart can be electrically restarted, the higher the chances of their survival.

Developing new commotio cordis injury metrics

In 2021 our lab group developed new injury metrics for commotio cordis safety which provided the analysis of measuring rib cage deformation from impact.

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) has established chest protector safety protocols to prevent against commotio cordis, and while they are not perfect they exist for baseball and lacrosse. Unfortunately, these regulations are absent for both hockey and American football.

They are urgently needed to prevent incidents occurring in all levels of sport, and our lab continues to pursue these goals of safety for all. We believe that, in addition to measuring force from impact, the inclusion of rib deformation would greatly improve the accuracy and effectiveness of these injury metrics. We also believe the inclusion of hockey and football in commotio cordis safety standards would help prevent these injuries.

Identifying vulnerable impact locations

Piggybacking on our initial commotio cordis injury metric study in 2021, our lab was able to identify potentially vulnerable impact locations over the heart which are currently not considered as a point of emphasis in commercially available chest protection on the market.

Using simulations, we were able to recreate these injuries and designed heat maps that overlay the chest of individuals to really highlight where the most dangerous locations may occur. We found that impacts slightly offset of the heart resulted in high strain values of cardiac tissue elements.

It is important to note that this location becomes exposed quite easily from athletic movement in which the chest protector may move around on the body of the athlete.

Optimizing commotio cordis safety standards

Recently, our lab group collaborated with cardiologist Stephan Rohr’s lab at the University of Bern in Switzerland. We conducted a study to identify further ways to optimize commotio cordis safety standards, while improving on the current regulations. This research is currently under peer-review.

To our knowledge, this is the first study to report on peak strain values that can be expected to occur at the level of the left ventricle of the heart during commotio cordis — inducing impacts for different age groups. The results from this study may contribute to the understanding of the cellular mechanisms responsible for commotio cordis, alongside sport safety and equipment regulations.

Our lab group is committed to ensuring we can reduce instances of commotio cordis. To make sports safer for people of all ages, and prevent the tragic loss of athletes on our playing fields, we will keep investigating the fundamental mechanisms and developing novel countermeasures.

Recent events may increase awareness of this rare but serious injury, and help promote improvements in protective equipment in many sports.

The Conversation

Grant James Dickey has previously received funding from Mitacs to assist in the Cellular Optics laboratory in Bern, Switzerland to further understand cardiac cell stretching from impact.

Haojie Mao, Kewei Bian, and Sakib Ul Islam do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

ShareTweetSharePin
Previous Post

The clitoris – a brief history

Next Post

How COVID can disturb your sleep and dreams – and what could help

Next Post
How COVID can disturb your sleep and dreams – and what could help

How COVID can disturb your sleep and dreams – and what could help

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

November 29, 2021
Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

October 12, 2022

10 Things I Learned During My Body Transformation

October 12, 2021

7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

October 12, 2021
Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

October 12, 2021
How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

December 1, 2021
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022
Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

September 28, 2022
Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

July 19, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS