A Teachable Moment for the Nation: How the NFL Saved a Life

Summary: On a Monday night in January, millions tuned in to watch a football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, but they actually watched the Chain of Survival in action as a life was saved. Now let’s make sure that planning for cardiac emergencies is duplicated on every playing field, for every athlete.
 
Synopsis: The opening keynote presentation features Jeff Miller, Executive VP of Communications of Public Affairs and Policy (Health and Safety) for the National Football League. Joining him is Jonathan Drezner, MD, Editor-in-Chief of the British Journal of Sports Medicine and Director of the University of Washington Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology. Dr. Drezner is also the team physician for the Seattle Seahawks and has partnered with the NFL with an educational initiative around the recognition and management of SCA in athletes.

You may recall seeing the news following this incident earlier this year. On January 2, 2023, during a Monday Night Football game, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin made what seemed to be a routine tackle. Millions of viewers then watched him collapse, seemingly unconscious. What they didn’t know was that he had suffered sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and that the NFL had a plan to deal with such an event. It was an emergency action plan that the NFL has had in place for years. In the agonizing minutes that followed, viewers caught glimpses of CPR and use of an AED. An ambulance came to the field and Damar was taken to a medical facility. Because of this plan, he survived, and amazingly six months later was cleared to practice with his team in preparation for the next season. Damar and the NFL are advocates for CPR and AEDs on all sports fields: at every level, every sport, and every age.
 
The event became a teachable moment for the nation, as the country was riveted by his recovery, and the media’s medical consultants explained to audiences the Chain of Survival and the critical importance of bystander CPR and quick use of AEDs.
 
Now, the NFL is clearly challenging the status quo for SCA in athletes by establishing the Smart Heart Sports Coalition and partnering with both the American Heart Association and American Red Cross as well as numerous major sports leagues.
 
NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Miller, the leader in this initiative, will describe the game plan for the NFL in being proactive today to save lives tomorrow among athletes participating in sports at every level. This session will show how Damar Hamlin’s event inspired and galvanized the country to tackle the problem of SCA in youth. 
 
As the leading expert on SCA in young athletes, Dr. Jonathan Drezner (Director, UW Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology) has studied this tragic issue for over two decades. He will present the history and present state of what needs to be done to save young lives, examining survival outcomes in young athletes with SCA over the last 20 years. Analogous to the well-planned response for Damar, he will define the critical preparations, immediate actions, and best practices to recognize and respond to SCA when it occurs on the field of play.
 
A combined presentation with these leaders will lead to a facilitated discussion. Dr. Drezner is also the team physician for the Seattle Seahawks and has partnered with the league for an educational initiative around the recognition and management of SCA in athletes.