Youth Athletic Gear Not Enough to Prevent Heart-Stopping Impacts, Researchers Say

Nov. 13, 2006 — -- From helmets and mouthpieces to elbow pads and shinguards, the sheer amount of protective equipment worn by young sports participants today rivals that of any professional athlete.

It's hard to believe that these kids wouldn't be safe from any impact.

However, according to new research presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in Chicago, all of that gear may not be enough to protect young athletes against sudden death caused by a blow to the chest.

The study found that out of 85 such deaths in organized youth sports, 33 had occurred despite the presence of potentially protective equipment. The average age of these athletes was 15.

The cause of death in these cases is called commotio cordis, a Latin term meaning "commotion of the heart."

It is caused by a blunt, nonpenetrating blow to the chest that triggers an irregular heartbeat called ventricular fibrillation. Collapse and sudden death follow unless medical help is provided immediately.

In sports, the blow can be caused by hard contact with another person -- a common occurrence in sports such as football and hockey. Equipment such as balls, bats, hockey sticks, hockey pucks or other projectiles can also be the source of the impact.

These cases in the study included 14 hockey players, 10 football players, six lacrosse players, and three baseball players.

Ten of these fatalities occurred when projectiles struck the chest protector directly.

"These athletes wore standard, commercially available chest barriers, made of polymer foam covered by fabric or a hard shell, generally perceived to provide protection from the consequences of chest blows," said Dr. Barry Maron, senior author of the study and director of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation in Minneapolis, Minn.

"Hopefully, these data will represent a stimulus for developing a truly effective chest barrier that will be absolutely protective against the risk of these commotio cordis catastrophes," Maron said.

"This highlights inadequacies of protective gear in young athletes," said Dr. David Haines, chief of the division of cardiology and director of the Heart Rhythm Center at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. "I think that these data should stimulate a reevaluation of the design of this gear."

"As a parent, I always assumed that my child was protected on the lacrosse and football fields. Apparently not," Haines said.