An unexpected complication of sneezing: Blow-out orbital fracture

Akyol, Pınar Yeşim; Ünlüer, Erden Erol; Oyar, Orhan; Bılgın, Serkan

doi:10.4103/0974-2700.145409

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The sites of injury were classified according to anatomical location: ocular/orbital [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] (27%), intrathoracic [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] (25%), intercranial/neurological 29-38 (19%), laryngeal/pharyngeal [39][40][41][42][43][44][45] (13%), otologic [46][47][48] (6%), and other [49][50][51][52][53] (10%) ( Figure 1). There were 15 cases orbital/ocular injury: orbital subcutaneous emphysema [3][4][5][6][7]10,11,…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Genovesi and Simmons 41 Spontaneous retropharyngeal hemorrhage M NA Polycythemia vera and taking anticoagulants Ocular/Orbital Gauguet et al 12 Orbital wall fracture, herniation of orbital fat, and orbital emphysema M 15 Ocular trauma-right medial orbital wall fracture Akyol et al 8 Blow-out orbital fracture M 32 Roselle and Herman 5 Acute orbital swelling and crepitus F 84 Khader and Abdul-Baqi 13 Ecchymosis of the right eye, pressure in the right orbit, and periorbital swelling M 3 8…”

Section: Smentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Dangers of Sneezing: A Review of Injuries

Setzen

Platt

2019

Am J Rhinol�Allergy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Sneezing is an almost universal daily phenomenon as a reflex to evacuate irritants from the nasal cavities. An autonomic-controlled buildup of intrathoracic pressure against a closed glottis followed by sudden release results in a burst of 1 kPa of air through the upper airway. Active intervention to limit a sneeze can be deleterious. Closure of the airway during a sneeze can result in over 20 times the airway pressures resulting in a variety of untoward events. This review summarizes all reported injuries that occurred as the result of a sneeze. Objective The objective of this review is to summarize the risks of closed-airway sneezing and determine if there are any trends which can help understand such injuries. Methods A comprehensive literature review was performed from 1948 to 2018 to identify all reports of sneeze-related injuries. Information was compiled from reports to gain insights into comorbidities and risk factors for sneeze injuries. Results There were 52 unique reports of sneeze-related injuries in the literature that were categorized into 6 areas of injury: intrathoracic, laryngeal/pharyngeal, ocular/orbital, intracranial/neurological, otologic, and other. The mean age of subjects who suffered a sneeze injury was 40 years old (range: 15–84 years), with 81% being male gender. Thirty percent had a risk factor for injury of prior trauma (5) or respiratory compromise (5). Conclusion A variety of injuries can occur during a sneeze, especially when a closed-airway sneeze is attempted, and high Valsalva pressure is transmitted to the other systems. Men are more at risk for these injuries with the majority occurring in patients with no known risk factor. When triggered, a sneeze should be allowed to proceed without intervention to prevent associated injuries.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Smentioning

confidence: 99%

The Dangers of Sneezing: A Review of Injuries

Setzen

Platt

2019

Am J Rhinol�Allergy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, complications of sneezing have been described. 1,2,4 Hemothorax refers to a collection of blood within the pleural space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is a mundane phenomenon that many people experience multiple times per month and is usually regarded as benign. However, complications of sneezing have been described 1,2,4 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hemothorax after sneezing

Neff,

Bradby

2023

JACEP Open

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Acute hemothorax is generally known to be a sequela of trauma to the chest, rupture of aortic aneurysm, or aortic dissection. Other causes of hemothorax have been attributed to iatrogenic, vascular, neoplastic, coagulopathy, or infectious processes. Although there has been a single report of spontaneous rupture of intercostal artery after coughing, there have been no reports of the same from sneezing. This rare presentation highlights the importance of a full evaluation for patients who present with viral symptoms such as sneezing or coughing along with a complaint of chest pain because massive hemothorax can be life‐threatening.

show abstract

“…Traumatic injuries, including orbital blowout fractures, have been reported after sneezing and nose blowing. [2][3][4][5] Henry Ford Health-Macomb, Department of Emergency Medicine, Clinton Township, Michigan Isolated neurologic cases have been rarely described. We detail a unique case of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), subdural hemorrhage, and unilateral orbital blow-out fracture after sternutation in an adult with no prior history of anticoagulation or coagulopathy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intracranial Hemorrhage and Facial Fractures After Nose Blowing and Sternutation: A Case Report

Hanson,

Stewart,

Cronovich

2023

Clinical Practice and Cases in Emergency Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Blowing the nose and sneezing are ubiquitous physiologic processes. While exceedingly rare, traumatic injuries have been described. We detail a case of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage and orbital fractures sustained as a result of these two phenomena in an otherwise healthy adult without known risk factors for bleeding or intracranial hemorrhage. Case Report: A 79-year-old female presented to the emergency department after blowing her nose with an episode of sneezing following mild epistaxis. She denied any history of trauma, anticoagulation use, bleeding disorders, or pain associated with her symptoms. On examination, she had notable right periorbital swelling. Computed tomography revealed multiple areas of intracranial hemorrhage along with right-sided orbital and zygomatic fractures. After consulting trauma surgery and neurosurgery, we elected to pursue conservative management with repeat imaging. The patient had an uneventful course and was discharged with outpatient follow-up two days later.Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first case described of this constellation of injuries after a relatively benign process. Despite not having increased risk factors for intracranial hemorrhage (anticoagulation use, history of trauma, history of coagulopathy), this patient had severe injuries that presented with few external symptoms. This case serves as a reminder that while physiologic processes are almost always benign, serious traumatic injuries can result. Clinicians should have a low threshold for advanced imaging when there is a high clinical suspicion of facial fractures or more ominous processes.

show abstract

An unexpected complication of sneezing: Blow-out orbital fracture

Cited by 3 publications

References 2 publications

The Dangers of Sneezing: A Review of Injuries

The Dangers of Sneezing: A Review of Injuries

Hemothorax after sneezing

Intracranial Hemorrhage and Facial Fractures After Nose Blowing and Sternutation: A Case Report

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About