BLUNT TRAUMA AND CARDIAC CHANGES: THE ROLE OF COMMOTIO CORDIS IN SUDDEN DEATH

Abstract

This article sought to understand how Commotio Cordis (CC), a rare and fatal syndrome, implies in the development of sudden death. The present study consists of an integrative bibliographic review, with a quantitative research approach based on a guiding question, with the sample universe of all articles available in the Medical Publisher (PUBMED), Virtual Health Library (BVS) and Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS) databases, delimited to the last 5 years of publication (2015-2025). It was analyzed that when a non-perforating and blunt impact occurs on a patient's precordium, at the time of the ventricular depolarization phase or at the peak of the T wave of repolarization, when the myocardium is most vulnerable, CC is developed. The impact results in a sudden increase in left ventricular intracavitary pressure, activating stretch-sensitive ion channels, leading to the development of fatal arrhythmias. Therefore, early identification of the event, initiation of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and early defibrillation are of utmost importance, to drastically minimize mortality.