At the request of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The Ronald Reagan Institute of Emergency Medicine, with the assistance of the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC), both of The George Washington University (GW), convened an expert panel of physicians to formulate recommendations on specific medical indications for air bag disconnection. The panel consisted of 17 physicians, each nominated by a professional society or organization. The medical societies were selected because their members were either the most likely to see air bag-related injuries or to be questioned about air bag risks by their patients. The medical conditions considered were provided by NHTSA as the most common concerns expressed by members of the public in disconnection requests to the agency. One additional condition for discussion was added by panel members. The Reagan Institute was responsible for coordination of the conference, including methods of discussion and consensus development. This report represents a summary of the results of the conference. While the report has been reviewed by the participants, any endorsement of the recommendations by the specialty societies will be subject to the bylaws of the respective groups. Air bags have been proven effective at saving lives in frontal crashes. Air bags have also been shown to present a risk of death or injury in certain situations. Currently, there are proposals to allow disconnection of air bags at the request of consumers. While disconnection removes the risk of injury from air bag deployment, disconnection also risks the loss of lifesaving benefits in the event of a potentially fatal crash. The panel approach was to determine those specific situations in which risks of air bag deployment might weigh heavily enough to mitigate the benefits. The panel generated a number of general needs regarding the subject area. These needs focus on improved data collection about air bag performance, support for dissemination of conference results to physicians and the public, and improved consumer awareness about the risks of air bag deactivation. The panel addressed a list of issues which are detailed in this report. Many of the issues relate to specific situations such as pacemakers and previous surgery. In most of these areas, the best information available indicates that the benefits of air bags clearly outweigh the risks. More general issues, such as short stature, were less clear. The available data, particularly regarding lives saved and nonlethal injuries suffered and averted is not clear enough to make specific recommendations about what specific height places an individual at risk from a deploying air bag. Proximity to the initially deploying air bag appears to be the central issue, not necessarily height. The panel recommends that the vast majority of automobile owners keep their air bags connected. The clinical experiences of the panelists and their colleagues confirm the dramatic change in injury patterns and outcomes since the advent of air bag technology. Improved research and data collection is vital to future decision-making by policymakers and consumers. The purpose of the conference was to discuss specific medical indications for air bag disconnection and to formulate recommendations in these areas. During the course of these discussions, the panel developed a list of general recommendations related to air bag safety data and public information. (A)
Samenvatting