Damar Hamlin is making ‘significant recovery’ after suffering cardiac arrest on the field, doctors say

The good news for Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin continued Thursday afternoon when doctors at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center said he “improved significantly” after suffering cardiac arrest during Monday’s game against the Bengals.

“He’s starting to wake up and it appears his neurological status and function are intact,” said Dr. Timothy Pritts of UC College of Medicine in a video press conference.

Hamlin had been sedated after being revived in the field on Monday but began communicating with doctors in writing on Wednesday as his verbal communication continued to be hampered by his breathing tube. The 24-year-old defender even asked doctors who won Monday’s game, which was suspended after his collapse in the first quarter.

“Our response was, Damar, you won,” Pritts told reporters. ‘You won the game of life.’

Damar Hamlin is awake and showing signs of recovery after suffering cardiac arrest and being resuscitated during Monday’s Bills-Bengals game in Cincinnati

Both Pritts and Dr. William Knight of the University of Cincinnati said the medics’ quick response to Hamlin’s collapse on Monday was critical to saving the Pittsburgh’s life.

Doctors were at Hamlin’s side within a minute of his collapse and immediately determined he had no pulse.

“There are injuries that happen in sport, but it’s rare for anything to happen [that] incredibly serious [that quickly]’ Pritts said. “We can’t take credit [the Bills medical] team enough.’

“It’s been a long and difficult journey over the past three days,” Knight said. ‘[Hamlin] has made quite a remarkable improvement.’

Despite his improvement, it is not clear when Hamlin will have his breathing tube removed.

“Every patient is different,” Knight said. “When the families of the patients ask how long they are being ventilated in the intensive care unit, [we’ll say]as long as it takes.’

Pritts said the “best outcome” would be for Hamlin to go back “to being the person he was before all this happened.”

Doctors at the University of Cincinnati spoke to the media about Hamlin’s condition on Thursday

The good news comes as the 12-3 Bills prepare to host the New England Patriots on Sunday. Buffalo still has a chance to wrestle the top seed in the AFC playoffs from the 13-3 Kansas City Chiefs depending on whether or not the NFL orders last week’s game against Cincinnati.

One option is to call off the remainder of the Bills-Bengals game and use the odds to determine playoff placement in the AFC. Such a move would give the Chiefs the advantage to secure the first-round bye and home field advantage in the postseason.

Of course, football is not the most pressing matter given Hamlin’s ongoing recovery and many other players