AAP: 2011 to 2020 Saw Rise in Pediatric E-Scooter Injuries

FRIDAY, Oct. 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The incidence of injury in children using standing electric scooters is increasing, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics, held from Oct. 7 to 11 in Anaheim, California.

Harrison Hayward, M.D., from Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., and colleagues used data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (2011 through 2020) to identify e-scooter-related injuries in pediatric patients presenting to U.S. emergency departments. Analysis included 1,446 patients (0 to 18 years).

The researchers found that the average age at time of injury was 11.1 years, and 59.3 percent of patients were boys. The upper extremity (34.23 percent) was the most commonly injured body part. The majority of patients (91.1 percent) were discharged, while 7.1 percent were admitted (most often for fractures; 55.9 percent), with no fatalities reported. The proportion of patients requiring admission increased from 4.17 percent in 2011 to 12.92 percent in 2020, while the proportion of total annual patients ages 13 to 18 years increased from 19.17 percent in 2011 to 41.67 percent in 2020. Over 10 percent of the identified cases involved head injuries.

"The number of annual e-scooter injuries has increased from 2011 to 2020, likely due in some part to the rise in popularity of rideshare e-scooter apps," lead author Harrison Hayward, M.D., also from the Children's National Hospital, said in a statement. "Our study has characterized the spectrum of injuries that occur in children, which helps emergency room doctors prepare for taking care of them and helps parents and families to practice better safety."

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