Cliff diving leading to commotio cordis in a patient with Ebstein's anomaly

Maan Gozun; Kimberly Vu; Yoshito Nishimura; Hayk Ghukasyan; James Zhang; Anne Kemble-Luo; David Singh

doi:10.1016/j.jccase.2023.08.012

Cliff diving leading to commotio cordis in a patient with Ebstein's anomaly

J Cardiol Cases. 2023 Sep 1;28(6):250-252. doi: 10.1016/j.jccase.2023.08.012. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Authors

Maan Gozun¹, Kimberly Vu¹, Yoshito Nishimura¹, Hayk Ghukasyan¹, James Zhang¹, Anne Kemble-Luo^{1

2}, David Singh^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI, USA.
² Queen's Heart Institute, The Queen's Medical Center, Honolulu, HI, USA.

Abstract

In this case report, we describe a 23-year-old male with Ebstein's anomaly who experienced out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to commotio cordis following cliff diving. The patient previously underwent a Cone procedure and re-do reduction tricuspid valvuloplasty. Comprehensive investigations revealed no new ischemic events or structural abnormalities. He received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator during an uneventful outpatient visit. This is the first reported case of commotio cordis in a patient with Ebstein's anomaly, suggesting a potential increased risk in individuals with congenital heart diseases. This highlights the significance of tertiary prevention in such cases.

Learning objective: Through this case, readers may be able to review the incidence and electrical abnormalities leading to sudden cardiac death in patients with commotio cordis, the clinical presentation and mechanism of injury, and the current consensus regarding the management of commotio cordis.

Keywords: Commotio cordis; Ebstein's anomaly; Sudden cardiac death.

Publication types

Case Reports