Background Anas barbariae hepatis et cordis extractum 200K (Oscillococcinum®) is used to treat and prevent seasonal colds and airway inflammatory affections, improve symptom control, and reduce the frequency of respiratory tract infection (RTI) episodes. The objective of this controlled observational study is to investigate, from the Italian National Health Service (NHS) point of view, the role...

BACKGROUND There have been numerous reports of sudden cardiac death attributable to the condition of commotio cordis. Primarily, these are reports from the USA. Although three Australian cases have been mentioned in the published literature, the present case appears to be the first described Australian case. METHODS A man was brought to the Emergency Department after sudden collapse while pla...

Ectopia cordis is a rare congenital anomaly associated with the heart positioned outside of the thoracic cavity either partially or completely. It can be associated with other congenital abnormalities. Overall, the prognosis for infants with ectopia cordis is very poor but depends greatly on the type and severity of ectopia cordis and intracardiac and associated malformations. We present one ca...

We studied 21 patients who presented with a diagnosis of pentalogy of Cantrell. Their mean age was 40 days. All patients presented with congenital heart disease. Six presented with ectopia cordis. Every patient was subjected to echocardiography. Double outlet right ventricle, an atrial septal defect and dextrocardia were seen in 5 patients (24%). Four patients survived. Seventeen died, 12 from ...

CONTEXT Although blunt, nonpenetrating chest blows causing sudden cardiac death (commotio cordis) are often associated with competitive sports, dangers implicit in such blows can extend into many other life activities. OBJECTIVE To describe the comprehensive spectrum of commotio cordis events. DESIGN AND SETTING Analysis of confirmed cases from the general community assembled in the US Comm...

We report on a preterm male newborn with complete ectopia cordis associated with Cantrell's syndrome. The neonate had an ectopia cordis involving defects of the lower sternum, supraumbilical abdominal wall, anterior portion of the diaphragm, and diaphragmatic portion of the pericardium associated with complex congenital heart defects. The infant died shortly after birth. We discuss this case an...

BACKGROUND Commotio cordis events due to precordial blows triggering ventricular fibrillation are a cause of sudden death (SD) during sports and also daily activities. Despite the absence of structural cardiac abnormalities, these events have been considered predominantly fatal with low survival rates. OBJECTIVE To determine whether expected mortality rates for commotio cordis have changed ov...