LAUSR

OBJECTIVES This study highlights demographics and Orthopaedic injuries of electric scooter related trauma that presented to our institution over a 27-month period. DESIGN Retrospective Review. SETTING Urban Level 1 Trauma Center. PATIENTS Patients presenting to the Emergency Department, Trauma Bay, or Outpatient Clinic after electric scooter injury were identified from November 2017 through January 2020 using ICD-10 diagnosis codes. MAIN OUTCOMES Patient charts were reviewed for demographics, injury characteristics, imaging, treatment, perioperative data, and Injury Severity Scores (ISS). RESULTS 485 patients presented during the study period. Of these, 44% had Orthopaedic injuries including 30% with pelvis or extremity fractures. There were 21 (10%) polytraumatized patients in the Orthopaedic cohort. Age ranged from 16 to 79 years (average 36), with 58% male and 18% visitors from out of town. Of 49 patients requiring Orthopaedic surgery, 8 underwent surgery on an urgent basis. Average ISS for Orthopaedic patients was 8.4 with a median of 5.0 for non-operative injuries versus a significantly higher median of 16.0 for operative injuries. Twenty-nine percent of patients were intoxicated, and only 2% wore a helmet. CONCLUSIONS Electric scooter injuries are increasing, and many patients sustain high-energy injuries. As electric scooter use continues to increase, the prevalence of Orthopaedic injuries is also likely to rise. Further studies are needed to fully understand the impact scooter-related injuries have on individual patients and the healthcare system. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III.