264 Observational Study of Clinical Impact of E-Scooter Injuries at Major Trauma Centre

Abstract

Abstract Aim Is to focus on frequency E-scooter associated injuries especially open fractures and to see its burden on health system. Method Data of E-scooter injuries was extracted from trauma database from November 2017 to July 2022. Outcome measures were type of injuries: site of bony fractures, closed Vs open fracture, number of operations, complications and Length of Hospital Stay. Results Number of patients enrolled was 104. The mean age was 34.3 years and 78.8% were males. The main mechanism of injury was riding 91%. Patients with bony injuries were 65.4% with 22.1% of them were open fractures. Most common bony injuries were lower limb only fractures 45.6%, then upper limb only injuries 39.7%. Head and neck injuries composed 23.1% of the reported injuries including: intracranial haemorrhages (9.6%), extensive traumatic brain injury (3.8%), hematoma/lacerations (3.8%), cervical spine fractures (1.9%) and skull fractures (1.9%). Mean duration of hospital stay was 8.6 days and 9.6% patients needed ITU admission. Number of patients presented as trauma calls were 55.8%. Patients that needed surgical intervention either under Orthopaedics or other specialities were 52.9% and 21.2% of total patients had complications either due to surgical intervention or long hospital stay. Conclusions E-scooter riding can lead to serious injuries that can end with limb or life-threatening conditions. There should be more emphasis on wearing protective gear like wrist and elbow guards in addition to helmets. Future prospective studies with larger cohorts across multiple regions and hospitals are necessary to truly characterize the nature and cost of e-scooter injuries.