Injury patterns of e-scooter-related orthopaedic trauma in central London: a multicentre study

Abstract

Purpose Electric scooters (e-Scooters) are being increasingly used in urban areas as a new means of transport. E-scooter sharing schemes have recently been piloted in the United Kingdom; however, there are no published data on orthopaedic injuries and user behaviour patterns in the UK. We aim to identify the patterns and severity of orthopaedic injuries related to e-scooter use. Methods We performed a retrospective review of all orthopaedic referrals relating to e-scooter use from 1 March to 30 November 2020 at three hospitals, including one major trauma centre in central London. Data including patient demographics, mechanism of injury, diagnosis and treatment were collected. Results One hundred and five orthopaedic injuries were identified in 83 patients. The median age was 32 years and 83% were male. Seventy-nine (95.2%) patients were riders, four were pedestrians. All e-scooters were privately owned. There were 93 fractures (88.6% of total injuries noted) including 12 (12.9%) open. Fifty-two (56.0%) were upper limb fractures, 39 (41.9%) lower limb and 2 (2.1%) spinal and rib fractures. Twenty-five patients (30.1%) required an operation and 29 (34.9%) required hospital admission. Helmet use was present in 34.1%. The most common place of injury was the road (65.1%) followed by pavement (32.9%). Conclusion E-scooters can cause serious injury, most commonly in males. There was an equal distribution of upper and lower limb injuries, with many associated with high-energy trauma requiring operative intervention. Helmet use was seen in one third of riders. As e-scooter use continues to increase across the UK, additional steps should be taken to ensure the safety of the riders and public.

E-scooter-related orthopedic injuries and the treatments applied: are these scooters a new means of transportation or a new source of trauma?

“…Mayhew et al reported that orthopedic injuries after e-scooter accidents were the most common pathology at the rate of 20.6% [ 1 ]. Similar to the current study, previous studies have shown that the most common fractures after an e-scooter accident are upper extremity fractures [ 8 , 10 , 12 ].…”

“…2 and 3 ). In a study by Cruz et al, surgery was performed on 30.1% of the patients and it was shown that the use of e-scooters caused high-energy injuries such as femoral neck fractures, open lower and upper extremity fractures, and fracture-dislocations [ 10 ]. In another study, major musculoskeletal injuries were observed at the rate of 36% after e-scooter accidents [ 11 ].…”

“…All of these patients had the accident after 8 pm [ 4 ]. In another study, alcohol was detected in 7.2% of riders after an e-scooter accident, and it was stated that the introduction of a licence for e-scooters would reduce the rate of alcohol-related accidents [ 10 ]. In another study, the patients involved in e-scooter accidents were determined to be mostly young adults under the influence of alcohol and the injuries were usually facial trauma [ 13 ].…”

Using e-scooters: An easy way to get home or a nightmare? An orthopedic perspective on e-scooter accidents

“…It has been reported in many articles that accidents on the driveway are more energetic and often require surgery because driving is done at higher speeds. [ 2 , 12 ] Indeed, 30.2% of our patients reported being at full speed during the accident. This rate was 0% in Group 1 and 68.4% in Group 2 (P<0.001).…”

“…Many studies have reported an increase in accidents during hot weather and on weekends when recreational rides become more frequent. [ 2 , 12 ] We observed that patients who used scooters for recreational purposes had more frequent major fractures requiring surgery. Riding under the influence of alcohol, at night, and for recreational purposes can often have a combined effect in causing such accidents in drivers who are reckless, impaired, have low decision-making abilities, and are drowsy.…”