Injuries associated with the use of ejection seats: a systematic review, meta-analysis and the experience of the Israeli Air Force, 1990-2019

Epstein, Danny; Markovitz, Eden; Nakdimon, Idan; Guinzburg, Ariel; Aviram, Eliad; Gordon, Barak; Shapira, Shachar; Sharon, Saar; Berkovich, Yakov; Miller, Asaf; Lipsky, Ari M.

doi:10.1016/j.injury.2020.04.048

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…The perfect mastery of ejection skills by pilots may contribute to significantly reduced ejection injury and improved ejection success rate[ 9 , 10 ]. Meanwhile, air defense support personnel should strengthen search and rescue and on-site emergency measures, and locate and rescue pilots in distress as quickly possible to reduce subsequent injuries[ 11 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of two naval pilots’ ejection injuries: Two case reports

Zeng¹,

Liu²,

Yi³

et al. 2022

WJCC

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BACKGROUND Recently, two naval pilots in a two-seat trainer jet were forced to eject urgently due to sudden mechanical failure during night-time training. They were both successfully rescued and sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. In this study, we investigate their ejection injuries and recovery process. CASE SUMMARY We analyzed the clinical data of the traumatic condition and recovery process from ejection injuries of two pilots who ejected from a failed trainer jet and survived. After being successfully rescued and sent to the hospital, they were diagnosed with multiple ejection injuries, including eye trauma, limb bone and joint injury, rib and spine injury, and so on. Both cases underwent fluid replacement, acid suppression, nutritional support, hemostasis, bone metabolism improvement, phlegm elimination, psychological measurement, blood circulation promotion and detumescence, physical therapy, and external fixation with braces for 1 mo before being discharged from hospital. They then recuperated in a sanatorium for 2 mo, and the related laboratory tests and supplementary examinations show that they recovered from all the above injuries. After successfully passing the psychological test and physical examination, they returned to flight duty 3 mo after ejection. CONCLUSION The causes and conditions of ejection injury in the pilots were very complex. Although they finally recovered quickly and were released, it also serves as a reminder that attention should be paid to pilots’ ejection and parachute training in order to significantly reduce ejection injury and improve the ejection success rate. In addition, air defense support personnel should strengthen search and rescue and on-site emergency measures, and locate and rescue pilots in distress as early as possible to reduce subsequent injuries.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of two naval pilots’ ejection injuries: Two case reports

Zeng¹,

Liu²,

Yi³

et al. 2022

WJCC

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“…Among the 110 parachuting injuries involving military personnel reported by Ball et al ( 12 ), low back pain accounted for 7.3%, and spinal fractures occurred in 5.5% (involving lumbar spine in 2 cases, cervical spine in 1 case, and thoracic spine in 3 cases). Epstein et al ( 13 ) reported that the spinal injury rate of paratroopers during parachuting was 18.5%, with lumbar spinal injury accounting for 51.4% of them. Unfortunately, protective devices are not often worn by paratroopers during daily training and maneuvers ( 14 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A prophylactic lumbosacral brace and the biomechanics of parachute landing

Wu¹,

Zheng²,

Wang³

et al. 2023

Ann Transl Med

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Background Lumbar injuries are common among paratroopers during landing maneuvers. Although bracing is widely advocated to increase spine stability, the effect of lumbar bracing on parachuting has yet to be quantified and the Chinese parachutist does not have a uniform prophylactic brace. The aim is to compare the effects of a novel, self-designed and self-manufactured lumbosacral brace with two ordinary lumbar braces based on biomechanical assessment of the lumbar and lower extremity joints during parachute landing. Methods The study cohort consisted of 30 elite male paratroopers. Each participant was instructed to jump off a platform at two different heights (60 and 120 cm, respectively) and land on the force plate in a half-squat posture. Participants at each height were tested under four different conditions (no brace, elastic brace, semi-rigid brace, and lumbosacral brace). The Vicon 3D motion capture system and force plate were used to record and calculate biomechanical data, such as vertical ground reaction forces (vGRFs), joint angles, moments, and energy absorption. After the experiment, every participant completed the study questionnaires. Results The increase of the jumping height raised all the parameters significantly (P<0.01). The use of all three braces slightly decreased vGRF, and reduced the lumbar angle, moment, and angular velocity in the sagittal plane. The use of lumbosacral and semi-rigid braces restricted lumbar flexion more efficiently (P<0.05), and significantly increased the energy absorption of the hip joints (P<0.01) and hip flexion (P<0.01) at 120 cm. No significant effect of braces was found on the motion of knee and ankle joints. The subjective scores suggested that the lumbosacral brace was softer and more comfortable than the semi-rigid brace, and more effective than the elastic brace. Conclusions The lumbosacral brace markedly restricted the lumbar motion in the sagittal plane than the elastic brace and was more comfortable than the semi-rigid brace. Therefore, the innovative design, high efficiency, and comfortable landing of the lumbosacral brace represent a reliable option for parachute jumping and training.

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