This week, the Buffalo Bills medical staff hit the field to run medical emergency drills. They practiced five scenarios in accordance with the NFL’s emergency action plan. Also in attendance were two emergency medicine doctors to advise the medical staff on how to handle some emergency situations. The Bills are one of the only teams to include independent doctors in their training.
For the Bills, these practices are more important than ever following the 2023 cardiac arrest of Damar Hamlin.
Hamlin suffered a cardiac during the January 2, 2023 game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. An intense hit to his chest precipitated the incident. After collapsing on the field, emergency medical staff revived Hamlin and the game was suspended.
Prior to Hamlin’s cardiac arrest, the NFL had not seen a similar incident since 1971, when Detroit Lions player Chuck Hughes collapsed on the field. A 50-year gap between these serious incidents is a thing to be celebrated, but the Bills medical staff isn’t taking any chances. They are taking the emergency action plan very seriously.
Staff was trained on head trauma, neck trauma, cardiac arrest and heat exhaustion, all injuries that can happen in any play or any game.
The NFL has been continuously improving its health and safety requirements in the past few years. They want the medical staff of every team to be well-prepared and fast-acting when an emergency medical situation does take place on the field.
On average, the NFL requires each team to have 30 medical professionals present, including athletic trainers, paramedics and neurotrauma consultants. There are medical staff meetings prior to every NFL game. The NFL also requires team medical staffs to be trained in CPR and AED so that when a cardiac event does occur, they are well prepared.
Fresh off the training, the Bills medical staff will get their first chance to show their stuff at an upcoming training camp next week.
