Uncle: Damar Hamlin 'Basically Died on the Field'

After Damar Hamlin's heart stopped beating on the football field during the Buffalo Bills game against the Cincinnati Bengals Monday night, the safety had to be resuscitated twice, his uncle tells CNN. "They resuscitated him on the field before they brought him to the hospital and then they resuscitated him a second time when they got him to the hospital," Dorrian Glenn says. "My nephew basically died on the field and they brought him back to life," he says of the 24-year-old.

Hamlin remains in critical condition, but his uncle offered a cautiously optimistic update, telling ESPN on Tuesday Hamlin had improved from the day prior. "They sedated him just to give a better chance for him to just continue to heal better," he says. "We are just taking it day by day. It seems like he’s trending upwards in a positive way." He adds that his nephew is "flipped over on his stomach" to take pressure off his lungs. He remains on a ventilator, and the next step will be weaning him off that, he said.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, says it sounds like Hamlin is in a prone position because when the heart isn't beating well, fluid can back up into the lungs, causing breathing difficulties. Hamlin's heart is likely struggling to pump enough blood, so the doctors are trying to decrease his body's demand for oxygenated blood, Gupta says. Hamlin's agent told ESPN Tuesday that Hamlin's oxygen levels have improved. (More Damar Hamlin stories.)