Dangerous impact--commotio cordis

Abstract

Sudden death following blunt chest trauma is a frightening occurrence known as 'commotio cordis' or 'concussion of the heart'. It is speculated that commotio cordis could be caused by ventricular fibrillation secondary to an impact-induced energy that was transmitted via the chest wall to the myocardium during its vulnerable repolarization period. We describe a survivor of commotio cordis caused by a baseball. In this patient, an initial ventricular fibrillation was documented and converted by direct current defibrillation. Serial electrocardiographic changes (bifascicular conduction block and T wave inversion in precordial leads) were noticed in this patient. Our case suggested that coronary vasospasm might also play a role in commotio cordis.