An emergency room specialist doctor has said that Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is in the "greatest possible situation" to recover after suffering a cardiac arrest during an NFL game against Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.
The 24-year-old collapsed on the field moments after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins during the opening quarter of the match at the Paycor Stadium.
The Bills have since confirmed that Hamlin's heartbeat was "restored on the field" before he was taken to the UC Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
Dr Anthony Cardillo has stressed that the length of time for which Hamlin's heartbeat had stopped will be crucial to his recovery, but also insisted that his general good health will be a positive in his chances of recovering fully.
"The primary concern is the length of time that he was not having cardiac activity. Every second counts," he told CNN.
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"If you get hit at a very exact moment, it's within milliseconds - that's when you're in cardiac arrest.
"We know that he's a young 24, healthy, conditioned athlete. He's in the greatest possible situation to come back to a normal life at this point, but our prayers are with him to make sure he does recover like that."
Cardillo also stated that medical staff would be expected to test whether Hamlin is now able to breathe on his own, without the need for a ventilator, over the coming 12 to 24 hours.
The match was suspended following the incident, and some of Hamlin's teammates have since returned to Buffalo while others are understood to have stayed in Cincinnati.
Barney Corkhill
