Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest brings attention to importance of AEDs

Alyssia Hamilton Editor-in-Chief

The thrill of sports comes with many joys whether as a fan or an athlete. The downside to sports is the unknown: the injuries or health defects that can change a person’s life.

Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin, suffered cardiac arrest during the ‘Monday Night Football’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The nation was left in shock on Jan. 2 as Hamlin collapsed after taking a hit to the chest with less than six minutes left of the first quarter.

“I was shocked because I saw the way that he tried to tackle the guy and he took a lot of force to his chest," Marietta Football Safety Coach, Michael Brown, said. "One thing I try to teach my safety is that any time a runner is low, you have to go lower. You can’t stand straight up because you’re taking all the weight. I knew it caused an impact to his chest, but I didn’t know it was that bad.”

Medical staff rushed to Hamlin’s side, used the AED and performed CPR as they waited for the ambulance. They transported him to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Dr. Timothy A. Pritts confirmed that Hamlin died once he hit the ground, but the CPR performed by the Bills’ medical staff was a crucial part of his life being saved.

This event brought attention to the importance of having an AED and trained medical staff on site at all times.

“Having athletic trainers on site is critical for athletes’ safety. Athletic trainers are highly trained healthcare professionals who are capable of handling everything from minor first aid to major catastrophic injuries like sudden cardiac arrest. Having an athletic trainer on the sideline during a catastrophic injury, gives a better chance for a positive outcome because medical care is immediately started,” Marietta’s Head Athletic Trainer, Jeff Hopp said.

The 2010 Georgia law (HB-1031), requires each public high school in Georgia to have at least one AED on campus and it should be available for school-wide access. According to head athletic trainer Jeff Hopp, Marietta High has 16 AEDs on campus.

According to the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation only 20 other states have AED requirement laws. Hamlin’s incident brought attention to the importance of AEDs, as his home state Pennsylvania passed the ‘Damar Law’ requiring schools to have AEDs on campus.

“I’m actually a little shocked and disappointed that only 20 states require schools to have an AED. In the event of a cardiac issue, chances of survival drop 10% every minute until an AED is applied. Given ambulance response time is typically 8-10 minutes, the chances of survival rate are very low if an AED is not on site,” Marietta’s Head Athletic Trainer, Jeff Hopp said.

The preparation for worst case scenarios has flourished and Marietta High has a program that reflects that. The Blue Devil Sports Medicine program operated by Jeff Hopp, Erika Davis, Alli Bird, and Emily Rivera, provides high quality healthcare and opportunities for high school students to gain real life experience as a training aides assistant.

“Being a part of sports medicine has given me handson experiences and skills I can use forever. It helped me decide what I want to do as my profession and provided me with long lasting relationships and friendships,” Sports Medicine training aide Faith Gillerson (12) said.

While Marietta High is thoroughly equipped, there are nearby schools that don’t have resources to promote the importance of sports medicine. South Cobb High School is an example of this problem.

“South Cobb does not currently have a permanent athletic trainer, but we do have coverage provided at Varsity events by PT Solutions,” South Cobb’s Athletic Trainer Amanda Burks said.

This means that Junior Varsity events are not covered by an athletic trainer. Injuries are very likely to happen in sports, and without an athletic trainer, kids aren’t able to get the proper treatment to properly heal. Funding to support sports medicine programs in high schools can help educate students to learn about the downside of sports.

“I think the biggest reason why it’s important for sports medicine to be taught at the high school level is for the awareness that the career exists. Most people don’t even know what athletic trainers are and they’re a huge part of the sports medicine team and first responders. With the Damar Hamlin case, if there weren’t athletic trainers there he wouldn’t have survived,” Athletic Trainer Erika Davis said.

During Hamlin’s hospital recovery time, people all over the world donated money towards his ‘Chasing M’s Toy Drive Foundation’. The original goal was $2,500 and has been surpassed with more than nine million dollars. He plans to partner with the ‘Giving Back Funds’ to help nonprofits use their giving to support the youth through education and sports. The overflowing support of Hamlin has led him to create the "#3forHeart CPR" challenge. There are three steps: Learn CPR, donate to the American Heart Association, and tag three friends on social media.

“Damar Hamlin's situation brought to light what athletic trainers are, what we do, and what we're capable of. They see us as waterboys when it comes to the NFL, not medical professionals. This sheds new light on the athletic trainer profession and that every athlete should have the access to a trainer no matter their performance level," Alli Bird said.

According to the National Safety Council 2021 report, basketball has the most injuries, but football is reported to be the most prone for injuries for people ages 15-24.