Case report: chronic sub-dural hematoma following high-speed ejection.
This paper reports a case of chronic sub-dural hematoma occurring in a pilot after a high-speed ejection that was within the survival envelope of the Mark 10 Martin Baker ejection seat. The events leading up to the ejection, his subsequent hospitalization for treatment of immediate injuries and late development of neurological signs, 6 weeks after the ejection, are presented. (A thorough search of literature has failed to reveal any previously published account of chronic sub-dural hematoma as a post-ejection complication.) His surgical treatment, recovery, and final assessment are discussed together with the possible causes of his sub-dural hematoma. Flight surgeons should take careful note of the events in this case. Sub-dural hematoma is frequently difficult to diagnose but it should not be discounted as a potential late complication from an ejection which is within the parameters of survivability and which yields, initially, only signs of relatively minor injury.
Warburton
R
R
Royal Saudi Air Force Aeromedical Centre, King Abdulaziz Air Base, Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
D000060:Accidents, Aviation; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D000401:Aircraft; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006260:Head Protective Devices; D006408:Hematoma, Subdural / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed