Commotio cordis (Latin, "agitation or disruption of the heart") is an often lethal disruption of heart rhythm that occurs as a result of a blow to the area directly over the heart (the precordial region) at a critical time during the cycle of a heartbeat. This leads to commotio cordis by disrupting the normal heart electrical activity, followed instantly by ventricular fibrillation and complete disorganization of the heart's pumping function. It is not an event caused by mechanical damage to the heart muscle or surrounding organs and is not the result of heart disease.Over a period of assessment from 2006–12, the survival rate was 58 percent, which was an improvement over the years 1993–2006 when only 34 percent of victims survived. This increase is likely due to prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), access to defibrillation, and higher public awareness of this phenomenon.Commotio cordis occurs mostly in boys and young men (average age 15), usually during sports, most frequently baseball, often despite a chest protector. It is usually caused by a projectile, but can also be caused by the blow of an elbow or other body part. Being less developed, the thorax...