About nine minutes into the game, the 24-year-old athlete was hit during a play.
He then stood up, nearly instantaneously, and fell to the ground seconds later.
Atweetfrom the official Buffalo Bills Twitter account confirmed that Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest following a hit.
Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Members from both teams were understandably emotional after Hamlin collapsed, and the game was eventually postponed.
How do you resume play after seeing such a traumatic event?
(Worth noting: The NFLquickly came under firefor how long officials took to call off the game.)
What happens during cardiac arrest?
Cardiac arrest means the heart abruptly stopped functioning, according to theAmerican Heart Association(AHA).
It happens when the hearts electrical system malfunctions and the heart stops doing its job of pumping blood.
In this scenario, a person may pass out, stop breathing, or lose their pulse.
It could be that there was something that was missed over time, he explains.
It can happen in seemingly healthy athletes with undiagnosed heart conditions or in those with healthy hearts.
Recovering from cardiac arrest depends on the individuals circumstances.
A witnessed arrest with downtime usually is treated with hypothermiachilled body temperatureto preserve brain function, Dr. Ince says.
A person will also usually be intubated to help them breathe and get enough oxygen.
Once you find out why this happened, you attempt to treat that underlying cause, Dr. Maag says.
That involves lots of imaging of the heart to see if it was normal.
There are different types of tests that are done to look for movements, mental status, their alertness.
Theyre all very comprehensive exams, he says.
Overall, treatment is so dependent on the individual, Dr. Maag stresses.
Thats why Dr. Andersen urges people tolearn CPR, just in case.
[Damar Hamlin] will not remember what happened, she says.
For those of us who watched, we will never forget.
Be prepared to save a life.
