Severe upper extremity injuries in frontal automobile crashes: the effects of depowered airbags

• Published in: The American journal of emergency medicine 2005-03, Vol.23 (2), p.99-105
• Main Authors: Jernigan, M. Virginia, Rath, Amber L., Duma, Stefan M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abbreviated Injury Scale; Accidents, Traffic - statistics & numerical data; Adult; Air bags; Air Bags - adverse effects; Air Bags - statistics & numerical data; Amputation; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Arm Injuries - classification; Arm Injuries - epidemiology; Arm Injuries - etiology; Biological and medical sciences; Blood. Blood coagulation. Reticuloendothelial system; Causality; Decision making; Emergency medical care; Female; Fractures; Fractures, Bone - epidemiology; Fractures, Bone - etiology; Health care; Health risks; Humans; Incidence; Injuries; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Intensive care medicine; Joint Dislocations - epidemiology; Joint Dislocations - etiology; Male; Medical sciences; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Risk Factors; Risk reduction; Seat Belts - statistics & numerical data; Sex Distribution; Studies; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; United States - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0735-6757; 1532-8171
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajem.2004.02.045

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of depowered frontal airbags on the incidence of severe upper extremity injuries. The National Automotive Sampling System database files from 1993 to 2000 were examined in a study that included 2,413,347 occupants who were exposed to an airbag deployment in the United States. Occupants exposed to a depowered airbag deployment were significantly more likely to sustain a severe upper extremity injury (3.9%) than those occupants exposed to a full-powered airbag deployment (2.5%) ( P = .01). Full-powered systems resulted in an injury distribution of 89.2% fractures and 7.9% dislocations compared with depowered systems with 55.3% fractures and 44.3% dislocations. Although depowered airbags were designed to reduce the risk of injuries, they appear to have increased the overall incidence of severe upper extremity injuries through a shift from long bone fractures to joint dislocations.