Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T05:54:20.008Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Airbag pneumonitis: a report and discussion of a new clinical entity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

Jaelyn M. Caudle*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.
Robert Hawkes
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.
Daniel W. Howes
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.
Robert J. Brison
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Ont.
*
Department of Emergency Medicine, Queen's University, 79 Stuart St., Kingston ON K7L 2V7; [email protected]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

This report describes the occurrence of pneumonitis in a young male immediately after inhalation of aerosolized chemicals subsequent to motor vehicle airbag deployment. The clinical presentation was one of mild shortness of breath associated with bilateral alveolar infiltrates on chest radiology. Not previously described, this diagnosis should be considered in the differential of pulmonary infiltrates in motor vehicle crash patients.

Type
Case Report • Rapport de cas
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 2007

References

1.Mikhail, J, Huelke, DF. Air bags: an update. J Emerg Nurs 1997; 23:439–45.Google Scholar
2.Zador, P, Ciccone, M. Automobile driver fatalities and frontal impacts: airbags compared with manual belts. Am J Public Health 1993;83:661–2.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Antosia, RE, Partridge, RA, Virk, AS. Air bag safety. Ann Emerg Med 1995; 25:794–8.Google Scholar
4.Corazza, M, Trincone, S, Virgili, A. Effects of airbag deployment: lesions, epidemiology and management. Am J Clin Dermatol 2004;5:295300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5.Wallis, LA, Greaves, I. Injuries associated with airbag deployment. Emerg Med J 2002;19:490–3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Gault, JA, Vichnin, MC, Jaeger, EA, et al. Ocular injuries associated with eyeglass wear and airbag inflation. J Trauma 1995;38:494–7.Google Scholar
7.Gross, KB, Haidar, AH, Basha, MA, et al. Acute pulmonary response of asthmatics to aerosols and gases generated by airbag deployment. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1994;150:403–14.Google Scholar
8.Epperly, NA, Still, JT, Law, E, et al. Supraglottic and subglottic airway injury due to deployment and rupture of an automobile airbag. Am Surg 1997;63:97981.Google ScholarPubMed
9.Hambrook, DW, Fink, JN. Airbag asthma: a case report and review of the literature. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2006;96:369–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Gross, KB, Koets, MH, D’Arcy, JB, et al. Mechanism of induction of asthmatic attacks initiated by the inhalation of particles generated by airbag system deployment. J Trauma 1995;38:521–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Weiss, JS. Reactive airway dysfunction syndrome due to sodium azide inhalation. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 1996;68:469–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
12.Chang, S, Lamm, SH. Human health effects of sodium azide exposure; a literature review and analysis. Int J Toxicol 2003;22:175–86.Google Scholar
13.Schreck, RM, Rouhana, SW, Santrock, J, et al. Physical and chemical characterization of airbag effluents. J Trauma 1995;38:528–32.Google Scholar
14.Miller, K, Chang, A. Acute inhalation injury. Emerg Med Clin North Am 2003;21:533–57.Google Scholar
15.Barrett, S, Johnson, M. Shortness of breath. In: Rosen, P, Doris, P, Barkin, R, et al, editors. Diagnostic Radiology in Emergency Medicine. St. Louis (MS): Mosby; 1992. pp. 273313.Google Scholar