Fennville nonprofit, experts stress importance of AEDs in wake of Hamlin collapse
FENNVILLE — During the Buffalo Bills' game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday, Jan. 2, Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and went into cardiac arrest. He remains, as of Wednesday morning, in critical condition and ventilated.
In the wake of the traumatic event, which occurred on live TV, West Michigan experts hope to spread awareness about AED (automated external defibrillator) devices and how to help if someone goes into cardiac arrest near you.
Dr. Ronald Grifka, chief medical officer with University of Michigan Health West, said acting quickly is crucial.
“For every one minute that CPR and the defibrillator is delayed, your chance of survival drops 10 percent,” Grifka said. Grifka, a pediatric cardiologist, watched as the game was suspended and medical professionals began CPR and brought out the AED.
“He’s a professional athlete, so he has been screened and tested for a lot of the routine heart problems that could cause cardiac arrest on the field,” Grifka said. “So this is most likely something we call ‘commotio cordis.’ It’s a Latin word. It means concussion of the heart.”
Grifika said passing out was a sign of ventricular fibrillation.
“Normally the heart is a strong muscle. It squeezes and pumps blood to the body. With ventricular fibrillation it’s really just quivering and not pumping any blood to the body at all, so you pass out and you have a cardiac arrest,” Grifka said.
He said while going into cardiac arrest through an impact to the heart is rare, it can happen.
"It’s a disruption of the normal heart rhythm that occurs with a blow to the chest directly over the heart at a very crucial small time period during the heart’s beating cycle. It’s only one or two milliseconds during every heartbeat that the heart is susceptible to a blow to the chest going into this abnormal heart rhythm,” Grifka said.
Doctors are reminding people of the importance of having AEDs available and being prepared to react.
“When someone passes out, the most important thing to do is to check for a pulse. If there’s no pulse, immediately begin CPR and get the defibrillator, because a defibrillator will save a life," Grifka said. "A lot of people are afraid to use defibrillators, but the good news is you turn the defibrillator on, put the pads on the patient and if the patient needs a shock, it will deliver a shock, but if the patient does not need a shock, it (won't)."
For one family in Fennville, Hamlin's collapse his a little too close to home.
“It brought a flood of emotions back that I wasn’t too keen on having back and it just — the helplessness look in all the players and coaches,” Mitchell Leonard said.
His brother, Wes Leonard, suffered cardiac arrest in 2011 after making a game-winning shot for his high school basketball team. To honor his memory, his family and former coach started the Wes Leonard Heart Team, which has raised money to provide more than 500 AEDs to schools and youth athletic centers in Michigan.
Wes' mother, Jocelyn Leonard, said many people are hesitant to use an AED but added the life-saving devices are simple to operate.
“Anybody can use them," she said. "Just open them up, tear open the package and do what the diagram says and it’s really a two-step process."
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The foundation is asking legislators to provide funding for schools to cover AED expenses.
“You’ve got to be able to get to it and get back very quickly,” Jocelyn said. “Schools don’t need just one, they need multiples.”
There's still a strong demand from groups requesting the device, with a waiting list of over 35 schools and organizations. Learn more or donate at wesleonardheartteam.org/wes-legacy.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Fennville nonprofit, experts stress importance of AEDs in wake of Hamlin collapse
