Citation

Maron BJ, Rowin EJ, Maron MS. HeartRhythm Case Rep. 2023; 9(12): 855-857.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.hrcr.2023.10.013

PMID

38204836

PMCID

PMC10774598

Abstract

In early January, commotio cordis (CC) achieved substantial visibility and notoriety as a cause of cardiac arrest on the athletic field when Damar Hamlin, a defensive player for Buffalo, was struck in the chest during a collision with an opponent in a U.S. professional football game. Rapid cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation were life-saving, with the event witnessed by millions on television in real time.

In comparison, 60 days later and 5000 miles away in Bucharest, Romania, another CC event occurred, this time during a youth basketball tournament game witnessed only by families and friends. An 18-year-old senior high school student of slight build (M.V.; height 72 inches; weight 160 pounds) was struck in the left chest by an inadvertent light blow from an opponent's elbow at close range during a scuffle to secure possession of a loose ball...

• Chest blow-induced ventricular tachycardia and cardiac arrest in the absence of underlying cardiac disease (commotio cordis) is an uncommon but important cause of sudden death, often in young people.
• Commotio cordis occurs in athletes during competitive or recreational sports, or is associated with routine everyday activities.
• Commotio cordis chest blows can be substantial or alternatively appear trivial and counterintuitive (as in the subject of this report).
• Timely recognition of a commotio cordis event is paramount, as cardiac arrest is reversible with prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation / defibrillation.
• Although incompletely understood, the mechanism of commotio cordis requires a precise timing of the blow over the heart to a narrow 20 ms window at the upstroke of the T wave.

Language: en

Keywords

Trauma; Athletes; Cardiac arrest; Commotio cordis; Implantable defibrillator; Sudden cardiac death; Ventricular fibrillation