During the first quarter of the Monday Night Football game on January 2, 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field. The on-site medical team and paramedics responded quickly — removing his safety pads to begin CPR and applying an automated external defibrillator (AED) — restarting Damar's heart before rushing him to a nearby hospital for additional treatment.

 What is cardiac arrest, and why are CPR and AED so important?

Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops abruptly with little or no warning. Early recognition of cardiac arrest improves the person’s chance of survival and is key to starting the correct care of CPR and the appropriate use of defibrillation to restart the heart.

CPR can help keep the heart pumping and blood flowing to vital organs until an electrical shock from a defibrillator is available to restore the heart to a normal heart rhythm.

What you need to know about CPR

Each year in the United States, an estimated 350,000 people experience sudden cardiac arrest in the community. Roughly 70% of cardiac arrests that do not happen in the hospital, occur in homes and private residences, therefore, a friend or family member is mostly likely to be the person who needs to take action. CPR, especially if performed immediately, can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim’s chance of survival.