Commotio cordis

Background

• Primary electrical event resulting in induction of Vfib
  • Due to blow occurring 10-30ms before peak of T wave
  • Often results from innocent-appearing chest wall blow
    • Usually insufficient to cause damage to ribs, sternum, or heart
    • Autopsy results usually show normal cardiac anatomy
• Second most common cause of death in young athletes after HOCM
  • Seen in sports where hard projectiles are used, e.g. baseball, hockey and lacrosse

See Also

Thoracic Trauma

Source

Tintinalli