Electric scooter injuries:Incidence and injury patterns at a level I trauma center

Purpose:Electric scooters(e-scooters)have become an increasingly popular mode of public transportation in recent years.As the incidence of related injuries rises,it is important to understand specific fracture patterns unique to e-scooters and electric bikes(e-bikes)to help guide management.The purpose of this study was to review the prevalence and describe specific fracture patterns of e-scooter and ebike related injuries at the busiest level 1 trauma center in the borough of Manhattan.Methods:Chart review to determine mechanism of injury was performed on all patients for whom an orthopedic consult was requested from 1/1/2021 to 12/31/2021.All patients whose injuries were sustained due to an e-scooter or e-bike were further reviewed for demographics,injury characteristics including fracture pattern,and definitive injury management.Any patients who had an orthopedic consult placed for a reason other than an acute injury were excluded.Descriptive statistics are reported as frequency(percentage)for categorical variables and means for continuous variables.Results:Of the 1815 orthopedic consults requested,1357(74.8%)were for acute injury management.Of those with acute injuries,119(8.8%)sustained 136 e-scooter or e-bike related injuries.There were 92(77.3%)males at an average age of(33.8±15.7)years.Approximately one-fifth of all patients presented in June 2021(26,21.8%).There was a 9.2%rate of open fractures.The 136 injuries were evenly split between the upper and lower extremities,with 57(47.9%)upper extremity,57(47.9%)lower extremity injuries,and 5(4.2%)concomitant upper and lower extremity injuries.The most common fracture patterns were ankle fractures(16,11.7%),followed by tibial shaft(14,10.2%),tibial plateau(13,9.5%),and radial head fractures(11,8.0%).There was a 33.3%incidence of associated posterior malleolar fractures in the spiral tibial shaft fractures,31.0%of posterior malleolar involvement and 18.8%of isolated vertical medial malleolar fractures in the ankle fractures,and 61.5%of posterior comminution in the tibial plateau fractures.Conclusion:E-scooter and e-bike related injuries have a high incidence of tibial shaft fractures,ankle fractures,tibial plateau fractures,and radial head fractures.There should be a high index of suspicion for posterior and medial involvement in lower extremity fractures sustained due to e-scooter or e-bikes.Identifying specific fracture patterns seen in e-scooter and e-bike related mechanisms will help guide management of these injuries.