A Case of Acoustic Trauma Caused by Airbag Inflation

We report a case of acoustic trauma of the right ear caused by airbag inflation. A 45-year-old man became involved in a car accident, in which as he was stopping his car, another vehicle collided with his car from behind and at the moment of the collision, the driver’s air bag inflated. Soon after the accident, he noticed hearing loss in the right ear. Examination revealed normal tympanic membranes bilaterally. Pure-tone audiometry revealed a moderate sensorineural hearing loss (41.3 dB) in the right ear. The patient was treated for 9 days with a tapering course of methylprednisolone injections, but the hearing loss persisted.