TEXAS: 9-Year Old Baseball Player Hit in Chest – Heart Stops

KHOU and KVLT report that a youth baseball player’s heart stopped after he was hit with a ball during a game!   Nine-year-old Tyson Hernandez had taken off for third in a steal attempt when a ball hit him squarely in the chest. The article reports that several coaches who are also in the medical field began administering CPR and got his pulse back. An EMS crew arrived and took him to a Dallas hospital. The diagnosis was called commotio cordis.

WHAT IS COMMOTIO CORDIS:

According to heart.org, Commotio cordis is an extremely rare, serious medical condition that can happen after a sudden, blunt impact to the chest. If the physical blow hits during a narrow window in the heart rhythm, it can disrupt the heartbeat and cause sudden cardiac arrest.

There are fewer than 10 new cases reported each year, but commotio cordis became widely known after many suspected it might have caused Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest. After being taken to the hospital it was determined that was indeed diagnosed with commotio cordis.

The family of the child is now pushing for chest plates to be worn at youth sporting events.  Read the full story by clicking here. 

This condition is most common in young male athletes. It is frequently caused by baseballs, softballs, lacrosse balls, hockey pucks or physical contact from other athletes. However, it just really depends on how you are hit. It can really happen in any sport.

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