University of Cincinnati Health physicians provided an update on the condition of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Thursday afternoon, saying the 24-year-old is improving substantially and appears to be neurologically intact.
The physicians said that they’ve communicated with Hamlin, who awoke Wednesday evening, about what has happened over the past few days and he “expressed surprised that he hasn’t been with the world for the past two days.”
What’s more, they added that Hamlin — who is currently still on a ventilator in the ICU — is moving his hands and feet and has been responding by shaking his head yes or no.
He was even able to write out a question for the doctors:
The physicians clarified that Hamlin initially had a pulse when he began to be attended to on the field Monday and lost it thereafter, which led to the on-field CPR.
There has been a lot of speculation that Hamlin has suffered from a condition called commotio cordis, which the physicians referred to as an “incredibly rare event and a diagnosis of exclusion” that “is on the list of considerations” but that it is also much too early to determine anything as a definitive cause, as Hamlin is still undergoing testing.
As far as Hamlin’s future in football, the physicians said that it is entirely “too early to have that conversation” and they are “focused on the day-to-day.”
The update comes shortly after the Bills announced that Hamlin has shown what physicians treating him are calling “remarkable improvement over the past 24 hours,” a mere three days after he had to be resuscitated on the field.
“While still critically ill, he has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact,” the Bills said in a statement. “His lungs continue to heal, and he is making steady progress.”
Bills rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam also posted a message on his Twitter account that said Hamlin “is doing better, awake and showing signs of improvement.”
These developments came as the Bills were scheduled to return to practice Thursday for the first time since Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and collapsed after making a tackle and was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center during the first quarter of Buffalo’s game against the Bengals on Monday Night Football.
The second-year player has spent the past two days sedated and listed in critical condition.
The Bills’ announcement comes as they prepare to play a home game against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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