Purpose: The increasing use of electric personal mobility devices (ePMDs) has been accompanied by an increasing incidence of associated accidents. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of ePMD-related injuries and their associated factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Emergency Department-based Injury In-depth Surveillance database from 2014 to 2018. All patients who were injured while operating an ePMD were eligible. The primary outcome was the rate of severe injury, defined as an excess mortality ratio-adjusted Injury Severity Score of ≥25. We calculated the adjusted odds ratios (AORs) of outcomes associated with ePMD-related injuries. Results: Of 1,391,980 injured patients, 684 (0.05%) were eligible for inclusion in this study. Their median age was 28 years old, and most injuries were sustained by men (68.0%). The rate of ePMD-related injuries increased from 3.1 injuries per 100,000 population in 2014 to 100.3 per 100,000 population in 2018. A majority of the injuries occurred on the street (32.7%). The most commonly injured area was the head and face (49.6%), and the most common diagnosis was superficial injuries or contusions (32.9%). Being aged 55 years or older (AOR=3.88; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.33–11.36) and operating an ePMD while intoxicated (AOR=2.78; 95% CI 1.52–5.08) were associated with severe injuries. Conclusions: The number of emergency room visits due to ePMD-related injuries is increasing. Old age and drunk driving are both associated with serious injuries. Active traffic enforcement and safety regulations regarding ePMDs should be implemented to prevent severe injuries caused by ePMD-related accidents.

Introduction The delta neutrophil index (DNI) is a reported marker that can be used to predict the diagnosis, prognosis, and disease severity of bacteremia and sepsis. We determined whether the DNI is useful in differentiating bacterial infection without bacteremia from viral infections in pediatric febrile patients in the emergency department (ED). Method This study involved a retrospective analysis of patient medical records from the pediatric ED of the teaching hospital. After extracting the list of patients with complete blood count (CBC) and DNI data,patients with bacterial infection (BI) without bacteremia and those with viral infection (VI) were identified. The primary outcome was the diagnostic performance of DNI in differentiating BI without bacteremia from VI. The secondary outcome was a comparison of the diagnostic performances of DNI, CRP, WBC, and neutrophil count between the two groups. Results After excluding 756 patients, a total of 574 patients were included in the study. A total of 151 (26.3%) patients were in the BI group, and 423 (73.7%) were in the VI group. There was no significant difference in DNI between the two groups (3.07 (2.52~3.63) vs. 3.51 (2.40~4.62), mean (95% CI), BI vs. VI). There was no difference in WBC count, neutrophil levels, or RDW between the two groups, but CRP levels were significantly higher in the BI group than in the VI group (1.39 (1.19~1.60) vs. 4.56 (3.66~5.45), mean (95% CI), VI vs. BI, p < 0.05). The AUROCs achieved in analyses of DNI, WBC count, neutrophil levels, RDW, and CRP levels were 0.5016, 0.5531, 0.5631, 0.5131, and 0.7389, respectively, and only CRP levels were helpful in differentiating BI from VI. Conclusion In the absence of bacteremia, DNI wound not be helpful in differentiating BI from VI in pediatric febrile patients.

Introduction: We sought to determine whether the delta neutrophil index (DNI), a marker that is reported to be used to predict the diagnosis, prognosis, and disease severity of bacteremia and sepsis, is useful in differentiating bacterial infection without bacteremia (BIWB) from viral infections (VI) in pediatric febrile patients in the emergency department (ED). Method: We conducted a retrospective analysis of febrile patients’ medical records from the pediatric ED of the teaching hospital. The patients with BIWB and those with VI were identified with a review of medical records. The primary outcome was the diagnostic performance of DNI in differentiating BIWB from VI. The secondary outcome was a comparison of the diagnostic performances of DNI, CRP, WBC, and neutrophil count between the two groups. Results: A total of 151 (26.3%) patients were in the BIWB group, and 423 (73.7%) were in the VI group. There was no significant difference in DNI between the two groups (3.51 ± 6.90 vs. 3.07 ± 5.82, mean ± SD, BIWB vs. VI). However, CRP levels were significantly higher in the BIWB group than in the VI group (4.56 ± 5.45 vs. 1.39 ± 2.12, mean ± SD, BIWB vs. VI, p < 0.05). The AUROCs of DNI, WBC count, neutrophil levels, RDW, and CRP levels were 0.5016, 0.5531, 0.5631, 0.5131, and 0.7389, respectively, and only CRP levels were helpful in differentiating BIWB from VI. Conclusion: In the absence of bacteremia, DNI would not be helpful in differentiating BIWB from VI in pediatric febrile patients.