Head Trauma After Pressure Cooker Blast

Investigators describe a rare extradural hematoma requiring surgical evacuation.

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A 56-year-old woman suffered a significant extradural hematoma after being struck by a pressure cooker lid during a domestic explosion.
2

The patient presented with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 14 and underwent emergency craniotomy due to a midline shift and symptomatic mass effect.
3

Imaging revealed a minimally displaced skull fracture and a 6.5 × 2.7-cm occipitoparietal extradural hematoma with associated contusions.
4

Pressure cooker explosions are classified as low-order blasts, primarily causing injury through secondary projectiles rather than overpressure.
5

The patient's recovery was uneventful, and she was discharged neurologically intact five days post-surgery.

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