title: A fatal case of commotio cordis caused by an accidental fall on the beach.
abstract: Sudden cardiac death is a major health problem and a recurring issue in forensic medicine. Most cases are attributed to congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, pathology of the coronary arteries, long or short QT interval syndromes, Brugada syndrome or secondary toxic effects of cardioactive drugs. Sudden death caused by Commotio cordis after an accidental fall is very rare in women. Victims are essentially young people who die following a direct blow to the chest sustained during physical activity. In the following, we report a case of an adult with no significant past medical history, walking on the beach with friends, who died from commotio cordis following an accidental fall on the wet sand. This article deals with post-mortem diagnosis, and demonstrates the importance of a detailed understanding of the circumstances surrounding the death, as well as systematic histological examination of the heart, as the heart will generally appear normal under macroscopic examination. It is important to note that commotio cordis can also occur in adults.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Medical Law and Ethic, University Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: jean.hiquet@chu-bordeaux.fr.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hiquet
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Medical Law and Ethic, University Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tovagliaro
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Medical Law and Ethic, University Victor Segalen, Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gromb-Monnoyeur
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D001493:Bathing Beaches; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D056104:Commotio Cordis / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D012420:Running; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Adult; Commotio cordis; Forensic medicine; Sudden death