Commotio CordisIDENTIFICATION AND TREATMENT

Objectives

Definition

Explanation

Populations

Examples

Treatment

Education

CommotioCordisIrritation of the heart due to a sudden blow to the chest

PhysiologyCommotio Cordisoccurs when the chest wall is impacted during the Relative Refractory Period, causing a disturbance in the electrical pathway of the heart and commonly resulting in pulselessness.

PopulationsThe highest percentage of those affected by Commotio Cordis are white males, ages 11-14, who play sports.Those with pre-existing heart conditions are even more at risk.Adults can also be affected, but it is rare.1996-2007 there were 288 diagnosed cases, all of which were 10-20 years old.

ExamplesCommon activities associated with Commodio Cordis:

Baseball

Hockey

Lacrosse

Martial Arts

Rodeo Injuries

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sff0_njY_lQ

Treatment CPR

Defibrillation

Precordial Thump

The save rate rises to 74% when quality resuscitation efforts are initiated in the first few minutes after cardiac arrest.

EducationHow do we start immediate life saving interventions?COMMUNITY OUTREACH!!

AED ready and available at every game

Players and coaches trained in CPR and AED usage