Light blow to chest can be fatal

From Anaheim, Calif., at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2001.

Researchers collecting data about sudden heart stoppages among otherwise healthy people have made a disturbing observation: Light blows to the chest that hit the heart directly can cause it to misfire and stop in rare cases.

Six years ago, these same researchers published a preliminary report suggesting that this tragic occurrence–called by its Latin name commotio cordis, or chaotic heart–can result when baseball players are struck in the chest by a ball.