Schalet Grant N, Tannenbaum Stacey L, Ouellette Taylor, Fletcher James W
Department of Surgery, Broward Health Medical Center, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Department of Surgery, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Lauderdale, USA.
Cureus. 2023 Jul 13;15(7):e41808. doi: 10.7759/cureus.41808. eCollection 2023 Jul.
Dual airbags are required to be installed and available for use in all motor vehicles since 1997. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 50,457 lives were saved by airbags from 1987 to 2017; however, airbag deployment can cause injuries, including thermal and chemical burns, hyperpigmentation, and dysaesthesia. There is little information available in the literature regarding differences in outcomes between promptly visiting a plastic surgeon and waiting for treatment, especially as an injury may not be immediately apparent or patients may not know that airbag burn injuries may be delayed in presenting.
This is a retrospective cohort pilot study conducted among 14 patients who presented to a plastic surgeon between January 1, 2019 and June 30, 2022 owing to injuries from airbag deployment. An early visit was considered ≤30 days, and a late visit was >30 days. Other variables collected included age, sex, Fitzpatrick skin type, smoking status, comorbidities, type of injury, injury site, pain status, hyper/hypopigmentation, dysaesthesia, epithelialization, and improvements in pain, pigmentation, and dysaesthesia from treatment.
The mean age was 36.0 years (standard deviation (SD) 17.9). The majority were female (85.7%), non-smokers (87.5%), and not diabetic (75.0%). Only six patients (42.9%) visited their doctor within one month of injury. Most patients experienced dysaesthesia (85.7%) and pain (71.4%). Thirteen of the 14 patients had hyperpigmentation or hyperemia, and one had hypopigmentation. Full or slight epithelialization was seen in 35.7%, and nine of the 14 patients had no epithelialization. Ongoing issues were a factor for 64.3% of these patients; 42.9% had ongoing issues with hyperpigmentation. A full recovery was seen in 28.6% of the patients. The patients who saw the plastic surgeon by day 30 or less (early) from the time of injury had a 66.7% improvement in pigmentation and 33.3% resolution in pain. Of those who went to the surgeon beyond 30 days (late), 25% had improvement in pigmentation and 37.5% had resolution of pain. Improvement in dysaesthesia occurred in both groups, but those who saw the plastic surgeon early had 33.3% resolution, while 37.5% of those who went late improved. Of those who went late to the surgeon, only 12.5% had epithelialization, while 66.7% of those who went within 30 days showed signs of (full or slight) epithelialization.
Patients involved in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) should be informed of the delayed fashion in which airbag burns can develop. An ostensibly mild burn may portend long-term consequences, especially if such injuries are not addressed in a prompt manner. Our study demonstrates how airbag burn injuries and their sequelae are best addressed with early care.
自1997年起，所有机动车均需安装并配备双安全气囊。美国国家公路交通安全管理局报告称，1987年至2017年间，安全气囊挽救了50457人的生命；然而，安全气囊展开可能会导致受伤，包括热烧伤、化学烧伤、色素沉着过度和感觉异常。关于受伤后立即就诊的整形外科医生与等待治疗的患者之间预后差异的文献资料很少，特别是因为损伤可能不会立即显现，或者患者可能不知道安全气囊烧伤可能会延迟出现。
这是一项回顾性队列试验研究，研究对象为2019年1月1日至2022年6月30日期间因安全气囊展开而受伤并就诊于整形外科医生的14例患者。早期就诊定义为≤30天，晚期就诊定义为>30天。收集的其他变量包括年龄、性别、菲茨帕特里克皮肤类型、吸烟状况、合并症、损伤类型、损伤部位、疼痛状况、色素沉着过度/色素沉着不足、感觉异常、上皮形成，以及治疗后疼痛、色素沉着和感觉异常的改善情况。
平均年龄为36.0岁（标准差17.9）。大多数为女性（85.7%）、非吸烟者（87.5%）且无糖尿病（75.0%）。只有6例患者（42.9%）在受伤后1个月内就诊。大多数患者经历了感觉异常（85.7%）和疼痛（71.4%）。14例患者中有13例出现色素沉着过度或充血，1例出现色素沉着不足。35.7%的患者出现完全或轻度上皮形成，14例患者中有9例未出现上皮形成。64.3%的患者存在持续问题；42.9%的患者存在色素沉着过度的持续问题。28.6%的患者实现了完全康复。受伤后30天及以内（早期）就诊于整形外科医生的患者，色素沉着改善66.7%，疼痛缓解33.3%。受伤后超过30天（晚期）就诊的患者中，25%的患者色素沉着有所改善，37.5%的患者疼痛得到缓解。两组患者的感觉异常均有改善，但早期就诊于整形外科医生的患者感觉异常缓解33.3%，而晚期就诊的患者中37.5%有所改善。晚期就诊的患者中，只有12.5%出现上皮形成，而30天内就诊的患者中有66.7%出现（完全或轻度）上皮形成迹象。
应告知机动车碰撞事故（MVC）患者安全气囊烧伤可能会延迟出现。表面上轻微的烧伤可能预示着长期后果，尤其是如果此类损伤未得到及时处理。我们的研究表明，早期护理能最好地处理安全气囊烧伤及其后遗症。
