Doctors Give Detailed Update on Former Pitt S Damar Hamlin’s Health

The physicians who treated former Pitt Panthers safety Damar Hamlin were able to give some positive updates.

PITTSBURGH - - Physicians from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center were able to share some more detailed and positive updates on the health of former Pitt Panthers Damar Hamlin, who went into cardiac arrest in the middle of the Bills-Bengals game played earlier this week and has spent the past two days in intensive care. 

Dr. William Knight - a professor of clinical care and emergency medicine expert who helps coordinate the medical staff and procedures on the ground at Paycor Stadium regularly - and Dr. Timothy Pritts - a professor of surgery in UC's medical school and the division chief of general surgery - were involved in Hamlin’s treatment both at the field and at UC Medical Center. They said Hamlin woke up this morning, is conscious and has movement in his extremities. 

“This marks a major turning point in his care,” Dr. Timothy Pritts said.

Hamlin has not yet been able to speak due to the ventilator helping him breathe, but can communicate with the many family members, friends, medical staff members and supporters who have visited through nods and with a pen and paper. They said Hamlin could squeeze the hands of nurses, doctors and loved ones while in bed and ask a pressing question: who won on Monday night?

“He was able to emerge and follow commands and he even asked who had won the game,” Pritts said.

Dr. Knight said Hamlin's care team is working on determining what exactly caused the cardiac arrest - it's too early to know at this point and the work is ongoing. 

What they do know is that the ability of the medical staff on the field at Paycor Stadium to immediately recognize the severity of Hamlin's injury, perform CPR and get his heart beating again, was literally life-saving. If they had hesitated for a minute or even a handful of seconds, the outcome could have been much different. The Bills' medical personnel collaborated with other staff on the ground to make that happen.  

“We cannot credit [the Bills medical] team enough," Knight said. "The fact that Mr. Hamlin had immediate bystander CPR in addition to prompt recognition of his arrhythmia, to get defibrillated and then get back to the return of circulation very quickly, … all meeting the standard of what we would expect in that scenario has allowed us to discuss these good outcomes today."

The next step for Hamlin is getting off that ventilator and back to breathing normally so that he could return home. He was completely dependent upon it when he arrived at UC Medical Center but doctors have been able to gradually wean him off assisted breathing methods as he gets function back. Fortunately, Hamlin's lung function is improving and continues to move in the right direction.  

Because it is still so early, Knight and Pritts are not able to answer some of the bigger questions - namely, if they expect a full recovery or if Hamlin will be able to play football again. 

Still, there were so many positive developments in Hamlin's health over the past 24 hours. He is still processing where he is, what happened and how the world has reacted, but Hamlin knows there is nationwide support coming his way in the form of good wishes and money for his charitable organization, the Chasing M's Foundation, which has received more than $7 million in donations from donors across the country. It was originally founded in support of a holiday toy drive.

"We relayed that he will have a lot of toys to buy after he recovers," Pritts said.

While there's still a long way to go, Pritts and Knight were both glad to share, on behalf of the Hamlin family, that Damar is not just alive but awake and working gradually to recover from the horrific injury. 

"It is not only that the lights are on, but we know he's home," Pritts said. 

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