Suspension airbags: a potential danger

Trauma as a result of airbag deployment is not uncommon. A cursory glance at the literature shows reports of skeletal, otological, ophthalmic, vascular, cardiac, respiratory and neurological trauma, burns and even death after airbag deployment. These injuries have usually been sustained as a result of failure or misuse of airbags used in restraint systems.

Few people are familiar with suspension airbags. These high‐pressure devices reside beneath vehicles and provide shock absorption (fig 1). The considerably increased pressure in these airbags, 300 psi or greater, renders their misuse extremely dangerous.

Figure 1 Intact suspension airbag.

We present a case of a spontaneously rupturing suspension airbag resulting in serious facial trauma.

A 53‐year‐old man was attempting to repair the suspension airbag of his heavy goods vehicle when the airbag spontaneously ruptured, injuring his mid‐ and lower face (fig 2). The patient sustained major facial lacerations, a fractured mandible, multiple dentoalveolar fractures and displacement of his partial denture into the nasopharynx.

Figure 2 Maxillofacial injuries as a result of suspension airbag rupture. Informed consent from the patient was obtained to publish these details.