BILL NUMBER: ACR 47	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Skinner

                        APRIL 17, 2013

   Relative to Commotio Cordis Awareness Week.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 47, as introduced, Skinner. Commotio Cordis Awareness Week.
   This measure would declare the week of June 1, 2013, to June 7,
2013, as Commotio Cordis Awareness Week and encourage all
Californians, particularly young athletes, their families, coaches,
school and youth sports league officials, and medical personnel, to
learn about the risks of, and treatments for, commotio cordis.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, Commotio cordis is a rare and potentially fatal cardiac
arrhythmia that occurs when there is a sudden, often seemingly
innocuous, blow to the chest that disrupts the electrical rhythm of
an otherwise healthy heart; and
   WHEREAS, Commotio cordis occurs most often during sports, when
athletes are at risk of being struck in the chest by a firm
projectile, such as a baseball, softball, lacrosse ball, hockey puck,
or soccer ball, or by another athlete, as in football, martial arts,
or cheerleading; and
   WHEREAS, Commotio cordis disproportionately affects children and
young adults, and it is one of the leading causes of sudden cardiac
death among young athletes. The average age of those affected is 16
years, and 90 percent of those affected are under 25 years of age;
and
   WHEREAS, There have been 250 reported cases of death from commotio
cordis in the United States in the past 16 years, which is more than
the total number of deaths from all sports-related head injuries;
and
   WHEREAS, The risk of commotio cordis can be reduced through simple
interventions, including (1) education on avoiding direct blows to
the breastbone, (2) improved recognition and prompt resuscitation
with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an automated external
defibrillator (AED), and (3) increased availability of AEDs and
medical personnel, including certified athletic trainers at youth
sporting venues; and
   WHEREAS, If an electrical shock from an AED is delivered to
someone having a commotio cordis attack within three minutes, there
is a 40 percent chance of survival, but if use of an AED is delayed
more than three minutes, the survival rate drops to 5 percent; and
   WHEREAS, Commotio cordis was first identified as a cause of sudden
death in 1932, and the survival rate has increased dramatically with
growing public awareness and improved safety measures. A
comprehensive study revealed that while only 10 percent of patients
survived from 1970 to 1993, 35 percent survived between 1994 and
2012, and in the last six years, 58 percent of patients have survived
commotio cordis events; and
   WHEREAS, Public awareness of this condition remains relatively
low, which leads to delayed management and a higher incidence of
deaths; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the week of
June 1, 2013, to June 7, 2013, to be Commotio Cordis Awareness Week
and encourages all Californians, and particularly young athletes,
their families, coaches, school and youth sports league officials,
and medical personnel, to learn about the risks of, and treatments
for, commotio cordis; and be it further
   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.