Amended in Assembly May 20, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 47

Introduced by Assembly Member Skinner

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Alejo, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Cooley, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Fong, Fox, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gordon, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Levine, Linder, Lowenthal, Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A. Pérez, V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, and Yamada)

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April 17, 2013

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 47—Relative to Commotio Cordis Awareness Week.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 47, as amended, 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.