By Joe Rutter
The Tribune-Review
GREENSBURG, Pa. — There was no shortage of medical personnel on hand Monday night when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed after going into cardiac arrest in the first quarter of a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium.
Hamlin, a McKees Rocks native who attended Central Catholic and Pitt before entering the NFL in 2021, remains in critical condition at Cincinnati’s UC Medical Center.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy released the league’s emergency medical procedures Tuesday that detail the number of medical workers on-site at each game.
The data shows that 30 healthcare providers on average are at a stadium on game day with the purpose of providing “immediate care” to players. The NFL estimates that each team employs four athletic trainers, two primary care physicians, two orthopedists, one chiropractor and one independent neurotrauma consultant.
In addition, each stadium deploys two independent athletic trainers, one visiting team medical liaison, one airway management physician, one radiology technician, two paramedics/EMTs, one unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, one dentist and one ophthalmologist.
The Steelers list five medical doctors in their media guide: orthopedists James Bradley and Craig Mauro, internists Aaron V. Mares and Jeanne Doperak and neurosurgeon David Okonkwo. The Steelers employ four trainers, led by John Norwig, a physical therapy resident and three seasonal interns.
The Steelers also have several crews of paramedics from the City of Pittsburgh EMS on site at every home game.
Before the season, every NFL team is required to create and implement an emergency action plan (EAP) in the event of an incident such as the one that occurred to Hamlin after he hit Bengals receiver Tee Higgins with 5:58 left in the first quarter. The league said the EAP went into action after Hamlin collapsed at about 8:55 p.m.
Each team’s EAP plan is reviewed by the NFL and the players’ association and must gain approval from a third-party expert. Each week, the home team designates a level one trauma center and must have two certified crews of paramedics and “advanced life support” ambulances on site.
Before every game, an hour before kickoff, medical staffs from both teams — as well as other medical personnel used by each stadium — meet with the home team’s head physician. This is called the “60 Minute Meeting.”
At this meeting, the stadium resources at hand are reviewed and the nearest hospital that meets level-one trauma standards is designated. The location of such equipment as a defibrillator, transport cart, spine board and advanced airway equipment is reviewed.
When the EAP is discussed, the physician that will serve as the “code leader” for a cardiac arrest situation is designated.
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