Chest guard suggestions

Our local league mandates chest/heart protectors which I really agree with. DD has been using an evoshield the past few years and it has worked out well, but it's gotten time for a new one.

Wondering if anyone has suggestions or thoughts on good gear. I'm leaning towards another, but $60 is a bit steep and seems like they're never run on sale.

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Evoshield is the only one I'd consider if I were to buy another.

The last time I looked all of the studies of heart guards found them to be completely ineffective in reducing cases of the heart stopping from blows to the chest (commotio cordis).. The NOCSAE recently developed standards, but there weren't any products on the market that met them. Has that changed?

Having a defibrillator readily accessible at practices and games was the best method of prevention. Having each family chip in would run closer to $75-$100 per player. A little pricier, but seems like a far better value since they actually work.

Though I don't agree on your league's stance towards these products... $60 seems very reasonable if it does what it's supposed to ?

My thinking on this is the same as an ill-fitting catcher's helmet or chest protector. Leaving a "gap," for lack of a better word, allows the ball to transfer a majority of it's inertia to the body. Since many heart guards fail to properly mold to the body, it does the same thing which is why they fail the new NOCSAE standards.


Even though the EvoShield may not pass the standards, I'd feel far more comfortable putting my DD in one of theirs than any of the others since it will mold to the body and leave a far smaller "gap."

YOCOACH said:

My thinking on this is the same as an ill-fitting catcher's helmet or chest protector. Leaving a "gap," for lack of a better word, allows the ball to transfer a majority of it's inertia to the body. Since many heart guards fail to properly mold to the body, it does the same thing which is why they fail the new NOCSAE standards.


Even though the EvoShield may not pass the standards, I'd feel far more comfortable putting my DD in one of theirs than any of the others since it will mold to the body and leave a far smaller "gap."

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It's not just the NOCSAE standards. None of the heart guards on the market, including Evoshield, have been shown to be the least bit effective. With or without the hearts guards rates of commotio cordis are the same. These things are a waste of money preying on parents fears.

MNDad said:

It's not just the NOCSAE standards. None of the heart guards on the market, including Evoshield, have been shown to be the least bit effective. With or without the hearts guards rates of commotio cordis are the same. These things are a waste of money preying on parents fears.

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MNDad...not saying you're wrong here but given the type of injury we're discussing I'm curious what the statistics actually are. Can you share or reference the study which came to this conclusion? Thx

Tatonka said:

MNDad...not saying you're wrong here but given the type of injury we're discussing I'm curious what the statistics actually are. Can you share or reference the study which came to this conclusion? Thx

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These all have the same theme and you could find endless other articles. The good news is there will soon be products that actually do work and you’re not just throwing money away.

“But experts say there is no evidence that any chest protector currently sold online and in stores reduces the risk of commotio cordis in young athletes. Tests of commercially available products on animal subjects have found no significant difference in risk whether or not a protector is worn. That includes protectors traditionally worn by catchers as well as newer products designed specifically to protect the heart.
One 2013 study that reviewed 216 U.S. cases of commotio cordis found that, of the 115 incidents related to competitive sports, 37 percent occurred while the victim wore a chest protector.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news...motio-cordis-standard-met-20160408-story.html

Additional links:

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/circep.111.962712

https://www.childrenscolorado.org/c...hest-protectors-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/

https://ksi.uconn.edu/emergency-conditions/cardiac-conditions/commotio-cordis/

https://www.sportsmedtoday.com/commotio-cordis-va-88.htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5181132/

https://nocsae.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/1521576393ND20018CommotioCordisTestMethod.pdf

This product shows the most promise…

https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/fuel/industry/could-new-chest-protector-standard-reduce-cardiac-risk

MNDad said:

These all have the same theme and you could find endless other articles. The good news is there will soon be products that actually do work and you’re not just throwing money away.

“But experts say there is no evidence that any chest protector currently sold online and in stores reduces the risk of commotio cordis in young athletes. Tests of commercially available products on animal subjects have found no significant difference in risk whether or not a protector is worn. That includes protectors traditionally worn by catchers as well as newer products designed specifically to protect the heart.
One 2013 study that reviewed 216 U.S. cases of commotio cordis found that, of the 115 incidents related to competitive sports, 37 percent occurred while the victim wore a chest protector.”

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news...motio-cordis-standard-met-20160408-story.html

Additional links:

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/circep.111.962712

https://www.childrenscolorado.org/c...hest-protectors-prevent-sudden-cardiac-death/

https://ksi.uconn.edu/emergency-conditions/cardiac-conditions/commotio-cordis/

https://www.sportsmedtoday.com/commotio-cordis-va-88.htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5181132/

https://nocsae.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/1521576393ND20018CommotioCordisTestMethod.pdf

This product shows the most promise…

https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/fuel/industry/could-new-chest-protector-standard-reduce-cardiac-risk

Click to expand...

I think the key point in your comment is about the good news and products that actually work are on their way. Some of the links you included were simply explaining the injury which I had always referred to as the "Myocardial Thump"...non technical, probably street term I picked up somewhere (may have been used when referring to Dolphins chasing off sharks). Also, much of that research was based on the older (2006 ?) Tufts study utilizing earlier versions of chest protectors and heart guards....as time has passed and technology has advanced both the injury and fatality rate seems to have decreased. The use of the new DSO type of foam/padding technologies is a big step in the right direction. As I read through the various newer reports it seemed encouraging. Additionally some of these products while perhaps being misunderstood by some who are only seeking protection from the commotio cordis occurrence offer the additional benefit of rib/soft tissue protection. Similar to the understanding of helmet design and use of these technologies in helmet design, this chest protection will hopefully continue to evolve and improve.

Yes, having an AED (and training for those who may need to use it) at every field would be a wonderful thing.