Blow-out fracture of the orbit associated with inflation of an airbag: a case report

Occipital condyle fracture: An unusual airbag injury

“…9 The eye may be injured by the fully deployed airbag, causing corneal abrasion but more serious injuries, such as retinal detachment and orbital blow-out fractures, can also be sustained from an actively deploying airbag. 10,11 Superficial burns of the upper extremities, face and neck are well documented. 12,13 Temporary hearing impairment and tinnitus have been reported on a number of occasions.…”

“…This, in turn, creates stronger shearing forces on the skin of the neck and face, which may be responsible for the abrasions noted in many patients and may be the reason for the associated hyperextension of the neck. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] In fact, it has also been shown in animal experiments that the rapid deployment of the airbag causes complex biomechanical forces between the head, neck and torso and also within the chest.…”

Maxillofacial and ocular injuries in motor vehicle crashes

“…17 This is of particular relevance in US where the increased volume of the airbag attempts to compensate for the low prevalence of seatbelt use compared with the UK (68% in all states overall, 90% in the UK). 8 Case reports from Italy, the UK and North America have described isolated zygomatic complex, 24 orbital 'blow-out', 25 and temporomandibular joint fractures 26,27 as a result of airbag deployment in short stature subjects.…”

“…[28][29][30][31] Vitreous haemorrhage, retinal detachments and related ocular ruptures constitute the most serious injuries described. 25,28 In Stein's series, patients involved in accidents with an estimated speed more than 30 mph sustained a greater percentage of vitreous or retinal haemorrhages. Those at slower speeds were more prone to ocular rupture, retinal tears or detachments.…”

Injuries caused by airbags: a review

“…There have been numerous reports of ocular injury due to airbags, ranging from orbital fracture (Cacciatori et al, 1997) to retinal detachment (Ruiz-Moreno, 1998) and lens rupture (Zabriskie et al, 1997). Various causes have been implicated, including the airbag cover components (Duma and Crandall, 2000).…”