Abstract
Commotio cordis refers to circulatory arrest due to a nonpenetrating blow to the chest. First discovered in 1932 in a study using large rabbits, it came to the attention of clinicians who encountered children dying suddenly from a chest blow while engaging in sports activities. This review traces the history of commotio cordis, establishes the conditions necessary for sudden death from a nonpenetrating chest blow, and presents the first ECG record showing that a chest blow landing in the ventricular vulnerable period can produce ventricular fibrillation. The conditions necessary for sustaining ventricular fibrillation and numerous examples of sudden death by commotio cordis are presented.
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