Citation

Freedman EL, Safran MR, Meals RA. J. Trauma 1995; 38(4): 577-581.

Affiliation

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, U.C.L.A. School of Medicine, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7723098

Abstract

Automotive airbag technology has reduced the number of injuries and fatalities resulting from motor vehicle crashes. With the increasingly frequent application of this safety feature in automobiles, recent reports of airbag-associated injuries have emerged, including ocular and non-lethal cardiac trauma. We report three cases of airbag-related upper extremity injuries seen at a level-I trauma center over a 6-month period. A heightened awareness of this type of injury in patients injured in motor vehicle crashes with airbag deployment is recommended. The awareness, identification, and management of these high energy injuries will take on added meaning as the airbag technology becomes universally applied.