This phenomenon is named commotio cordis—literally "agitation of the heart". The body region of interest here is the precordium, the area of the chest wall lying directly above the heart.

There is a scramble for a loose ball and player M.V. (white arrow) is struck in the chest by the elbow of an opponent. M.V. stumbles but remains upright for a few seconds just prior to full ...

Commotio cordis, a rare phenomenon from a blunt impact to the chest, can cause sudden death in the absence of apparent cardiac damage. The blow to the chest at precisely the wrong time in the ...

Doctors ultimately determined that Hamlin fell victim to commotio cordis – a rare condition in which cardiac rhythm is disrupted by a blow to the chest. Since then, Hamlin has helped raise ...

Other cases of athletes collapsing on the pitch involve specific cases of an injury called commotio cordis. This is where the chest suffers a high velocity impact — most often from a ball in a ...

Traumatic sudden death including commotio cordis occurred infrequently (6%). Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) resulted in a survival rate of 85% with the use of an automated external defibrillator ...

The cause of Hamlin's cardiac arrest was due to Commotio Cordis, which happens when someone takes a direct hit to the chest. Hamlin was tackled and hit in the chest by the helmet of Bengals wide ...

Commotio cordis is the result of blunt trauma to the heart, and is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac death in youth sports. Improvements in protective equipment may help prevent it.