Damar Hamlin remains under sedation in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, but updates continue to emerge. Hamlin’s recovery effort is “moving in a positive direction,” according to his marketing representative. Hamlin remains in critical condition.
Hamlin is on a ventilator, and reports indicated he had progressed from needing 100% of the ventilator’s oxygen to requiring around 50% by Tuesday night. Hamlin’s agent also said his client’s oxygen levels have improved, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com adds. Wednesday morning, doctors have seen the “promising readings” they had hoped for by this point, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com reports.
Medical personnel performed CPR on Hamlin for multiple minutes. Although Hamlin’s uncle indicated resuscitation was twice required following his nephew’s cardiac arrest, the family said Wednesday, the 24-year-old defensive back only needed to be resuscitated once. That instance occurred on the field at Paycor Stadium.
Hamlin’s first-quarter tackle on Tee Higgins, which led to the cardiac arrest and an ambulance transporting the second-year safety to the hospital, initially preceded a short stretch in which it looked like the Bills-Bengals game would resume. The NFL has pushed back on the reported five-minute warmup period initially announced by ESPN, but Albert Breer of SI.com notes multiple Bengals coaches heard “five minutes” — a usual timeframe following a major injury — regarding a return to play. The ensuing on-field meeting between Sean McDermott and Zac Taylor led to the players returning to the locker room, Breer adds.
The NFL has not announced a resumption date for the Week 17 matchup. Bills players traveled back to Buffalo on Tuesday morning. The team remains scheduled to host the Patriots on Sunday. Rather than going through a typical Wednesday practice ahead of a Sunday game, the Bills announced they will hold a walkthrough.
