Commotio cordis – a review of a rare cause of sudden death in young athletes

Abstract

Commotio cordis, from Latin “agitation of the heart” is a potentially fatal sudden disruption and alteration of heart electric activity. It is usually caused by relatively mild blunt non-penetrating trauma to the specific point on anterior part of the chest wall during beginning of the heart muscle repolarization phase. It leads to ventricular fibrillation presenting as a collapse few seconds after the blow. It can be lethal without taking proper steps of management in a short ammount of time.

Keywords

• commotio cordis
• ventricular fibrillation
• sudden death
• sudden cardiac death
• sudden cardiac arrest
• AED