Case Report

Multiple lacerations in a pregnant woman caused by spontaneously exploding shower screen glass

Abstract

Injuries caused by glass occur frequently, in particular in children, and make up an estimated 3% to 5% of all emergency visits, most frequently involving lacerations of hands, feet, and face. About 30% to 40% of glass injuries occur at home and often involve so-called architectural glass or bottles and glass containers. Accidents reported in association with showering mostly refer to falls or scalding by hot water. However, an increasing number of shower screens are made of tempered glass, which may potentially brake. Such injuries may be potentially severe, causing laceration of extremity arteries; requiring hospitalization or outpatient treatment for injuries; causing absence from work. These injuries are likely under- reported in the medical literature but could have potential medicolegal consequences for the patient. We report a case of multiple lacerations developed in a third-trimester pregnant woman caused by the spontaneous shattering of a shower screen glass and discuss the apparent unawareness to this potential hazard in the scientific literature.

Injuries caused by glass occur frequently, in particular in children, and make up an estimated 3% to 5% of all emergency visits, most frequently involving lacerations of hands, feet, and face [1-4]. About 30% to 40% of glass injuries occur at home and often involve so-called archi- tectural glass or bottles and glass containers. The rare injuries reported in association with showering mostly refers to falls or scalding by hot water [5,6]. However, an increasing number of shower screens are made of tempered glass, which may potentially brake. We report a case of multiple lacerations in a pregnant women caused by the spontaneous shattering of a shower screen glass.

A 30-year-old pregnant woman in the 32nd gestational week was showering when suddenly, the screen glass of the door shattered into pieces. Turned somewhat to the right during the incident, she was hit by the glass pieces over her left shoulder, elbow, left lateral part of the abdomen, the left lateral thigh, and lower leg causing multiple small cuts, scratches, and a few deeper lacerations (Fig. 1) including

the left elbow. Some of the lacerations required suturing, and several mandated the use of adhesive sutures (Steri- strips). The glass-front stereo cabinet door was completely shattered after the incident, only with a door handle left on the floor (Fig. 2). There was no impact to the glass prece- ding the incident.

On reviewing the Norwegian (Norway; nearly 4.6 million inhabitants) national lay press for the index year 2006, only 10 reports of person injury associated with exploding shower screen glass were found. At least 2 reports included children less than 5 years of age, 1 suffering multiple lacerations requiring treatment at an outpatient emergency clinic. Two men, aged 28 and 49, respectively, suffered lacerations and bleeding mandating surgical intervention-one from a Brachial artery laceration and the other from severe lacerations to the feet [7,8].

According to reports from several producers [7-9], the kind of spontaneous shatter (referred to as “granulation” of glass) of screen glass occurs in about 0.2% of all shower screens. Another firm reported 10 such incidents out of 15 000 sold products from 1 index year (1 in 1500) [7-9], however making the overall incident report difficult to assess because there are likely underreported cases, evident from the near complete absence of reports of this kind on person

Fig. 1 Lacerations to the left elbow requiring suturing and adhesive sutures (Steristrips) in a pregnant woman, 32nd gestational week (insertion).

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1065.e2 Case Report

outpatient treatment for injuries; several days absence from work), and by the obvious absence of reports in the medical literature, these injuries are likely underreported. We believe such injuries could have potential medicolegal conse- quences. Improvements in glass production (tempered, annealed, layered glass) may reduce the risk.

Kjetil Soreide MD, PhD Department of Surgery Stavanger University Hospital N-4068 Stavanger, Norway

Acute care medicine Research Network

University of Stavanger N-4068 Stavanger, Norway

E-mail address: [email protected]

Annbjorg Hegelstad Soreide MD

Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics

Stavanger University Hospital N-4068 Stavanger, Norway

doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2008.03.003

References

Fig. 2 Completely shattered glass from shower screen. Double arrows show wheels for suspension of the glass-door, and single arrow points at the door handle left after the glass wall exploded.

injury and trauma from the medical literature. Previous focus on injuries sustained from glass include automotive glass [10], glass and litter on streets [11], architectonal glass in homes [12], and the association with falls upon glass structures [6,13].

Several thousand shower glass screens are sold each year worldwide, and a very minor number of these may spontaneously shatter into pieces, potentially causing severe injury necessitating emergency ward admission and/or surgical attention. The spontaneous shattering of glass was caused by tension brought upon the glass. This may occur, inadvertently, through any stage of the production process until assembly of the final product in the consumers’ homes. Thus, it may not be possible to identify the “culprit hit” that brought tension onto the glass. As evident from the few reports in the lay press, the injuries may be potentially severe (laceration of extremity arteries; requirement of hospital/

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