[Pedelec users get more severely injured compared to conventional cyclists]

Area of Science:

• Trauma surgery
• Emergency medicine
• Public health

Background:

• Increasing e-bike sales correlate with a rise in e-bike-related injuries.
• Clinical observations suggest e-bike riders experience more severe trauma than conventional cyclists.
• No prior analysis existed for Germany regarding e-bike vs. conventional bicycle accident severity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze and compare injury severity and mortality rates between e-bike and conventional bicycle accidents.
• To identify demographic and comorbidity differences between e-bike and conventional cyclist groups.
• To inform preventive strategies and emergency care protocols for e-bike incidents.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective data collection from patients treated for bicycle accidents.
• Study period: March 1, 2017, to March 1, 2019.
• Inclusion of patients from the emergency department and trauma/orthopedics clinic at a level I trauma center.

Main Results:

• 59 e-bikers and 164 conventional cyclists were analyzed.
• E-bikers were older (mean age 62 vs. 48) and had more comorbidities.
• E-bikers sustained significantly more severe injuries (mean ISS 5.2 vs. 3.4) and required longer hospital stays.

Conclusions:

• E-bike riders are a vulnerable trauma subgroup requiring specialized care due to higher injury severity, older age, and comorbidities.
• An increase in severe e-bike accidents is anticipated, necessitating targeted preventive measures like helmet use and riding education.
• Emergency departments should adopt a low threshold for aggressive diagnostics and interdisciplinary assessment for e-bike accident victims.