CARDIAC ARREST

As Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition after collapsing on the field Monday night, an SAPD airport officer is reflecting on the time he survived his own sudden cardiac arrest.

NFL player Damar Hamlin's sudden cardiac arrest is weighing heavy on people across the nation. That's why a San Antonio mother is reminding the public about the free screenings her foundation offers, in honor of her son who died at 18 from a sudden cardiac arrest.

Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death for student athletes.

Sabrina Brandonisio, the daughter of Sabino Brandonisio, 60, said the two were supposed to start their shift together, working as cooks at the Whataburger in Schertz on Aug. 12. He is never late, and a co-worker told me he was outside and unconscious,” Sabrina Brandonisio said. Those two people were Danielle Apgar, a Schertz police officer, and her husband, Joshua Apgar, a Cibolo police officer. “Another officer got there, and we got his AED, and then EMS arrived,” Joshua Apgar said. “I feel like they were two angels sent by God,” Sabrina Brandonisio said.

New research finds sudden cardiac arrest isn’t so sudden. The study shows many patients miss or even ignore the early warning signs that may begin showing up weeks earlier. The survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest is less than seven percent, but with early detection and medical intervention, that rate jumps to 32 percent. Lenox Hill Hospital cardiologist Dr. Tara Narula joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss the warning signs.