Damar Hamlin’s Buffalo Bills teammates take CPR training as safety returns to practice
By Homero De la Fuente, CNN
(CNN) — Buffalo Bills players took CPR training at the team facility this week as safety Damar Hamlin continues to his recovery from a cardiac arrest.
The Bills posted video on Wednesday showing the CPR training, alongside a caption reading: “Buffalo Black Nurses Association, UBMD, AMR, and the American Heart Association all teamed up to help the players and coaching staff learn CPR. They also learned how to use an AED [automated external defibrillator] to help save lives.”
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest after making a tackle during the first quarter of the Bills’ Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2.
CPR was performed on Hamlin when he lost his pulse and needed to be revived through resuscitation and defibrillation.
He was cleared to resume football activities after it was determined his cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis, which can occur when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart’s electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations.
On Tuesday, Bills head coach Sean McDermott had told reporters that Hamlin was working at the team facility but wasn’t practicing.
However, later Tuesday, the 25-year-old did practice, doing individual drills as he prepares for his NFL comeback.
The NFL is in the organized team activities portion of the offseason program, commonly known as OTAs.
Several teams, including the Bills, began OTAs on Monday. No live contact is allowed, but seven-on-seven, nine-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
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