[Ear dysfunction due to air bag detonation?].
Air bags are among the latest developments in extensive automobile safety systems. They successfully have saved the lives of car occupants in road accidents. Many additional injuries caused by air bags from minor to severe have been reported. With the help of two acceleration sensors, the electronic tuner amplifier records the vehicle's deceleration. This is the adequate trigger for air bag deployment, which creates an intense noise of up to 170 dB sound pressure level. This noise level can cause cochlear damage. We present two patients with otologic symptoms after spontaneous air bag deployment.
Brehmer
D
D
Universitäts-HNO-Klinik Witten/Herdecke, St. Marien-Hospital, Katholisches Krankenhaus Hagen gGmbH.
Geidel
O
O
Hesse
G
G
Laubert
A
A
D000328:Adult; D017278:Air Bags / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D005260:Female; D006317:Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014012:Tinnitus / Q000209:etiology