Dr Juan Rivera explains what happened to Damar Hamlin, the NFL player who collapsed on the field

There was terror during the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals game on Monday Night Football.

Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field.

Dr Juan Rivera explains what happened to the 24-year-old athlete.

Something rarely seen in NFL history occurred on Monday night during the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals when NFL player Damar Hamlin, just 24 years old, collapsed on the field after tackling an opponent. Dr. Juan Rivera explains what happened to the athlete.

On Instagram, where he already has more than one 1.2 million followers, the renowned cardiologist and medical correspondent for Univision explained what commotio cordis is and speculated about whether that is what happened to Hamlin. Pay close attention to what he says…

«How sad what happened to Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin»

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“Many people wonder why,” said Dr. Juan Rivera, referring to the collapse of NFL player Damar Hamlin after he tackled an opponent. “One possible explanation is that it is a condition that in English is called ‘commotio cordis’, and basically it is when someone receives a strong blow to the chest and that blow happens in a specific phase of the cardiac cycle from the electrical point of view.”

The cardiologist shared that this can lead to fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia that can be fatal: “Here it is important to resuscitate the person and use a defibrillator and take them to a hospital” (TO SEE THE VIDEO CLICK HERE)

«I pray for my son»

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At the time, NFL player Damar Hamlin was in a critical situation, but little by little he has shown improvement. Dr. Juan Rivera’s followers did not hesitate to share their opinions after he explained what may have happened to the young athlete: «My son loves this game and every time he plays I am praying, in addition to the fact that the training sessions are very strong even for High School.»

“In Venezuela it happened with a 14-year-old young man, a pitcher, he was hit by a ball in the chest right in the heart and he fell dead. Very unfortunate.” “Thanks for the explanation, doctor. How necessary it is that all people learn to do CPR.» «May the Lord be your doctor par excellence and recover soon.» «American football from my point of view is the most violent game, they are very harsh blows that could have consequences.»

Dr Juan Rivera explains the differences between a cardiac arrest, a heart attack and congestive heart failure

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In his most recent Instagram post, continuing with the theme of Damar Hamlin’s injury, Dr. Juan Rivera shared the differences between cardiac arrest, a heart attack and congestive heart failure — taking into account that we still don’t know exactly what happened to the young player.

“Many times people use these words as if they were the same thing, but they are not. Cardiac arrest, which unfortunately happened to Damar Hamlin, is when the electrical part of the heart stops working, the rhythm becomes chaotic, and that is incompatible with life. Usually, you can give CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) to the person and use a defibrillator and sometimes it is reversible.”

People ask Dr Juan Rivera about pre-infarction

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«A heart attack is when the vascular part, the arteries in the heart, become clogged and cause a decrease in oxygen to the heart muscle and that could lead to cardiac arrest.» Dr. Juan Rivera commented in another part of this video, which provoked all kinds of reactions because of what just happened to Damar Hamlin.

Finally, the Univisión medical correspondent said that heart failure is when the heart does not pump properly and fluid accumulates in the lungs and the person has difficulty breathing: «These are three different things,» said the popular cardiologist (TO SEE THE VIDEO CLICK HERE).