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Craniofacial Trauma From E-Scooters: The New Face Of Urban Injury
Amanda C. Seymour, MD, Raymond Harshbarger, MD, Sarah Frommer, MD PhD.
Dell Medical School University of Texas Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
PURPOSE: Electric scooters have become increasingly popular since their introduction as a mainstream urban transportation option. However, accidents involving e-scooters lead to significant morbidity and mortality. The craniofacial region is the most commonly involved, resulting in severe, complex facial fractures and soft tissue defects. There has been little discussion or systematic characterization of these injuries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate and classify craniofacial injuries resulting from e-scooters.
METHODS: A single Level I trauma center database was queried for all adults with injuries from e-scooters since their introduction in 2018. Incidence of craniofacial involvement and associated systemic injuries was documented. Patient demographic factors, clinical course, interventions, and outcomes were reviewed. More detailed investigation of craniofacial injuries was performed.
RESULTS: Of 665 patients presenting with trauma from e-scooters, 384 (57.7%) had craniofacial involvement, with 492 bony injuries and 328 soft tissue injuries. There were 88 skull base, 86 maxilla, 83 orbital, 78 mandible, 57 cranial vault, 50 nasal, 43 zygoma, and three sphenoid fractures. 49 patients had open craniofacial fractures; majority of the mandible. 286 patients also had closed head injuries, 57 experienced blunt chest or abdominal trauma, and 235 sustained orthopedic injuries. Thorough maxillofacial CT evaluation of bone and soft tissue injuries is nearing completion for classification and treatment algorithm development.
CONCLUSION: We present a comprehensive review of 384 patients with craniofacial trauma from e-scooter accidents presenting to a single Level I trauma center over a 7-year period with characterization of patterns in soft tissue and bone involvement.
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