Injuries Associated With Electrical Flash Burns in Children Caused by E-bike Batteries

The use of electric bicycles (e-bikes) has increased in China. Alongside this increased use of e-bikes, reports of injuries related to e-bikes have also increased. However, few studies have explored electrical burns from short circuits in e-bike batteries, especially among children. Our study aimed to describe the epidemiology and prognosis of e-bike-related electrical flash burns in children. This retrospective analysis examined the injury patterns and prognosis of flash burn injuries from e-bike batteries among children presenting to the emergency department of a hospital in northern China from 2009 to 2020. Data collected included demographics, mechanism of injury, time of injury, injury site, burn depth, healing time, and patient prognosis. During the study period, 82 children presented to our emergency department with these injuries (boys: n = 64, 78%; girls: n = 18, 22%). The children's mean age was 3.5 (2.5) years. Burns occurred in all months of the year but peaked from May to August (spring and summer). Most burns were to the fingers. All burns were minor injuries that healed within 2 weeks with wound care. With the growing popularity of e-bikes, electric flash burns among children caused by e-bike batteries are increasingly common. Doctors should be aware of this special injury type to offer the correct diagnosis and treatment and provide parents with appropriate information.