Health and Fitness

Blunt Chest Trauma and Irregular Heart Beat in School Age Athlete


Elk Grove Village, IL—(ENEWSPF)—December 8, 2014. In the January 2015 issue of Pediatrics, (published online Dec. 8) a case study, “Atrial Fibrillation Induced by Commotio Cordis Secondary to a Blunt ChestTrauma in a Teenage Boy,” reports on a healthy 16-year-old boy who suffered blunt chest trauma during football practice. He experienced atrial fibrillation (AF), which resolved on its own within three days. His heart showed no abnormalities and he had no history of arrhythmia.

While cases of ventricular fibrillation have been reported when blunt force trauma occurs to the chest, AF is not normally reported. The authors suggested that because AF occurs without other symptoms such as fainting and dizziness, it may be underreported. AF can lead to rapid ventricular rates, and even life-threatening ventricular fibrillation, so it is important to recognize AF in cases of blunt chest trauma. Doing so may have implications for diagnosing and preventing potentially life threatening ventricular fibrillations in young athletes.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 62,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.

Source: www.aap.org


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