Citation

Jernigan MV, Duma SM. Am. J. Emerg. Med. 2003; 21(2): 100-105.

Affiliation

Virginia Tech, Impact Biomechanics Laboratory, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1053/ajem.2003.50037

PMID

12671808

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate severe upper extremity injuries resulting from frontal automobile crashes and to determine the effects of frontal airbags. The National Automotive Sampling System database files from 1993 to 2000 were examined in a study that included 25,464 individual cases that occurred in the United States. An analysis of the cases indicated that occupants exposed to an airbag deployment were statistically more likely to sustain a severe upper extremity injury (2.7%) than those occupants not exposed to an airbag deployment (1.6%) (P =.01). In particular, 0.7% of occupants exposed to an airbag deployment sustained a severe upper extremity injury specifically from the airbag. In addition, when in crashes with an airbag deployment, older occupants were at a higher risk for severe upper extremity injury, as well as occupants in crashes with higher changes in velocity.