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Trends of E-Scooter-Related Pediatric Orthopaedic Injuries: 20 Years of Nationally Representative Data
Sarah Lu1, Christopher J Williams, Isabella G Marsh
1From the Hospital for Special Surgery (Lu, Williams, Marsh, Nian, Beber, Ross, and Heyer), New York City, NY, and the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children Center for Orthopedics (Logterman), Orlando, FL.
Introduction:
The rise in popularity of battery-powered 2-wheeled electric scooters (e-scooters) has fostered safety concerns, particularly because of a lack of universally recommended safety precautions. Orthopaedic injuries are common in the pediatric population, yet little is known about the trends of e-scooter-related orthopaedic injuries in this population. The aim of this study was to investigate the national trends in orthopaedic injuries among children operating e-scooters over a twenty-year period.
Methods:
The National Electronic Surveillance System, a publicly available database of 102 emergency departments, was retrospectively queried for patients aged 0 to 21 years with an orthopaedic injury related to e-scooter usage between 2005 and 2024. Each case was assigned a sampling weight to produce nationally representative estimates. Linear regressions were used to calculate trends.
Results:
An estimated 55,653 pediatric orthopaedic injuries were reported during the study period. The weighted estimates of orthopaedic injuries related to e-scooter use had an upward trend from 2005 to 2024, with notable peaks in 2020 and 2024, which were paralleled by annual incident rates. The estimated average annual incidence rate was 204 injuries per 100,000 children per year. Most (65%) of the injuries occurred in male individuals. Children (aged 0-13) accounted for 63% of injuries, and adolescents (aged 14-21) accounted for 37% of injuries. Fractures were the most common injury (71.7%), followed by strain or sprain (25.2%). Most commonly injured anatomical areas were in the upper extremities, particularly the wrist (21.5%), forearm (15.6%), and shoulder (8.4%). Most (90.2%) of the injuries were treated and discharged on the same day.
Conclusion:
Pediatric orthopaedic-related e-scooter injuries have increased over the past 20 years, with injuries occurring more commonly in male individuals and children sustaining mostly fractures and upper body injuries. As new technologies facilitating high-speed travel emerge, orthopaedic surgeons should be cognizant of the injuries associated with the new products.
