ER doc & CPR professor here with some thoughts on cardiac arrest survivorship.
As we all wait nervously to see if Damar Hamlin recovers, I thought it was worth compiling some inspiring stories of survival.
A thread of hope below 🧵
#Hamlin #CPR #BuffaloBills #DamarHamlin
As we all wait nervously to see if Damar Hamlin recovers, I thought it was worth compiling some inspiring stories of survival.
A thread of hope below 🧵
#Hamlin #CPR #BuffaloBills #DamarHamlin
2/15
now, before I begin: we cannot yet say if Mr. Hamlin will recover. He has a long and difficult road ahead.
But what is medicine without hope?
As an ER doc, I couldn't do my job without it.... so let's learn from these survivors:
now, before I begin: we cannot yet say if Mr. Hamlin will recover. He has a long and difficult road ahead.
But what is medicine without hope?
As an ER doc, I couldn't do my job without it.... so let's learn from these survivors:
3/15
1. FABRICE MUAMBA - 2012
A soccer player in the UK, Mr. Muamba collapsed at age 23, during a game. It was observed that he "fell like a tree trunk. He didn't put his arms out to break his fall, or anything, he just dropped."
Cardiac arrest. People sprung into action....
1. FABRICE MUAMBA - 2012
A soccer player in the UK, Mr. Muamba collapsed at age 23, during a game. It was observed that he "fell like a tree trunk. He didn't put his arms out to break his fall, or anything, he just dropped."
Cardiac arrest. People sprung into action....
4/15
ambulance crews performed CPR and attached a defibrillator.
Mr. Muama was in a "shockable rhythm" known as ventricular fibrillation. He was shocked FIFTEEN TIMES and received CPR for 78 MINUTES.
think about it: "dead" for over an hour.
things were ominous....
ambulance crews performed CPR and attached a defibrillator.
Mr. Muama was in a "shockable rhythm" known as ventricular fibrillation. He was shocked FIFTEEN TIMES and received CPR for 78 MINUTES.
think about it: "dead" for over an hour.
things were ominous....
5/15
he was taken to the hospital, where they managed to restart his heart. And.... slowly.... over days....
he regained consciousness, and was eventually discharged from the hospital.
Read more:
theguardian.com/football/2012/…
he was taken to the hospital, where they managed to restart his heart. And.... slowly.... over days....
he regained consciousness, and was eventually discharged from the hospital.
Read more:
theguardian.com/football/2012/…
6/15
He returned to his family, returned to soccer (coaching, not playing) - and took time to reflect on his remarkable experiences.
watch:
He returned to his family, returned to soccer (coaching, not playing) - and took time to reflect on his remarkable experiences.
watch:
7/15
2. CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN - 2021
While we're on the topic of soccer.....
Mr Eriksen, a Danish footballer, was 29 when he collapsed during a game. He required CPR and a shock from a defibrillator.
2. CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN - 2021
While we're on the topic of soccer.....
Mr Eriksen, a Danish footballer, was 29 when he collapsed during a game. He required CPR and a shock from a defibrillator.
8/15
Ambulance crews worked hard while his teammates, upset and protective, formed a human shield for privacy.
Remarkably, one shock and his pulse was restored. He was even waking up within minutes.
Ambulance crews worked hard while his teammates, upset and protective, formed a human shield for privacy.
Remarkably, one shock and his pulse was restored. He was even waking up within minutes.
9/15
my favorite part of the story? On the sidelines, as he was waking up, he worried about his teammates.
He understood - survivorship is not just for the arrest victim, but for friends and family. It is a shared trauma.
my favorite part of the story? On the sidelines, as he was waking up, he worried about his teammates.
He understood - survivorship is not just for the arrest victim, but for friends and family. It is a shared trauma.
10/15
also remarkable - he received an internal defibrillator (an ICD) and is now back to playing soccer at a high level.
Read more:
football.london/international-…
also remarkable - he received an internal defibrillator (an ICD) and is now back to playing soccer at a high level.
Read more:
football.london/international-…
11/15
3. WILL FLANARY - 2020
Our last inspiration for the thread - Will is a "social media rock star" physician and comedian. His wife, Kristin, figures big in this one.
a father of two kids, he suffered cardiac arrest while ASLEEP
this story still gives me shivers....
3. WILL FLANARY - 2020
Our last inspiration for the thread - Will is a "social media rock star" physician and comedian. His wife, Kristin, figures big in this one.
a father of two kids, he suffered cardiac arrest while ASLEEP
this story still gives me shivers....
12/15
Kristin woke up to snoring sounds. Probably didn't think much at first - she nudged him.
But then she realized: something is wrong. He isn't waking up.
Kristin is not a physician & was not CPR trained. But she did > TEN MINUTES of continuous CPR until medics arrived.
Kristin woke up to snoring sounds. Probably didn't think much at first - she nudged him.
But then she realized: something is wrong. He isn't waking up.
Kristin is not a physician & was not CPR trained. But she did > TEN MINUTES of continuous CPR until medics arrived.
13/15
Kristin and Will have played the tape of the 911 phone call at conferences. It is truly inspiring, and catches me in the throat each time I hear it.
She just wouldn't stop. "Not gonna die on my watch" was her energy.
EMS shocked him, and his pulse came back -
Kristin and Will have played the tape of the 911 phone call at conferences. It is truly inspiring, and catches me in the throat each time I hear it.
She just wouldn't stop. "Not gonna die on my watch" was her energy.
EMS shocked him, and his pulse came back -
14/15
Now Will is back to his medical practice and comedy, and Kristin has become a superstar advocate for CPR and survivorship.
read:
dailymail.co.uk/femail/article…
Now Will is back to his medical practice and comedy, and Kristin has become a superstar advocate for CPR and survivorship.
read:
dailymail.co.uk/femail/article…
15/15
So, friends from around the world, let's keep hope that Mr. Hamlin will join the survivors.
And if more of us learn CPR, and make sure automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are available, we can ensure that more will survive.
Learn CPR - it's an act of love.
/fin
So, friends from around the world, let's keep hope that Mr. Hamlin will join the survivors.
And if more of us learn CPR, and make sure automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are available, we can ensure that more will survive.
Learn CPR - it's an act of love.
/fin
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
