Commotio cordis: cardiovascular manifestations of a rare survivor

Death due to low-energy chest wall trauma, commotio cordis, may occur in young athletes. Death is sudden and usually refractory to even immediate resuscitation efforts. Herein are described the clinical, angiographic, and hemodynamic data of a rare survivor. These observations suggest that commotio cordis not only may be secondary to ventricular fibrillation, but also may be associated with coronary vasospasm or segmental changes in myocardial contractility.