Seat belt injury presenting as bilateral abdominal wall herniations in a child

Pediatr Emerg Care. 1998 Oct;14(5):352-3.

Abstract

The constellation of abdominal injuries caused by seat belts in automobile accidents usually consists of intraabdominal solid organ and hollow viscus injuries. We present a two-and-one-half-year-old patient with an unusual constellation of seat belt injuries that presented as bilateral abdominal herniations. We feel that an abdominal hernia caused by a seat belt injury should alert the clinician to the probability of other severe intraabdominal injuries. The uniqueness of this case is compounded by the way in which the seat belt was misused.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Injuries / complications*
  • Abdominal Muscles / injuries*
  • Accidents, Traffic
  • Adult
  • Child, Preschool
  • Equipment Failure
  • Hernia, Ventral / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Jejunum / injuries
  • Male
  • Multiple Trauma
  • Seat Belts / adverse effects*