RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: In 2018, the City of Providence introduced a program in which electronic scooters were deployed for public use. We aim to characterize the burden of craniofacial injuries associated with these scooters. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of all patients consulted to the plastic surgery service for evaluation of craniofacial injury between September 2018 and October 2022. Data pertaining to patient sociodemographics, site and time of injury, and craniofacial trauma were recorded. RESULTS: Twenty-five patients sustaining craniofacial trauma were identified over a four-year period. Most patients required soft tissue repair (64%) and bony fractures were sustained by approximately half of all patients (52%). Admission to ICU was uncommon (16%), and there were no fatalities. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of craniofacial injury from electronic scooter use is low. However, these injuries may involve extensive surgical reconstruction and ICU admission. We advise the City of Providence to optimize best safety practices and monitoring to minimize risk.
Asunto(s)
Fracturas Óseas , Humanos , Fracturas Óseas/epidemiología , Estudios Retrospectivos , Ciudades , Incidencia , Hospitalización , Accidentes de Tránsito , Dispositivos de Protección de la CabezaRESUMEN
Orbital floor fractures are among the most common facial injuries. Although urgent surgical repair may be indicated, most patients require interval follow-up to assess for symptom onset and need for definitive operative intervention. This study aimed to evaluate the time to operative indication after these injuries. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all patients with isolated orbital floor fractures at a tertiary academic medical center from June 2015 to April 2019. Patient demographic and clinical data were recorded from the medical record. Time until operative indication was evaluated by the Kaplan-Meier product limit method. Results: Of 307 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 9.8% (30/307) developed indications for repair. Among these, 60% (18/30) were recommended surgery on the day of initial evaluation. Of 137 follow-up patients, 8.8% (12/137) developed operative indications based on clinical evaluation. The median period to decision for surgery was 5 days (range, 1-9). No patients developed symptoms suggesting the need for surgery beyond 9 days after trauma. Conclusions: Our investigation demonstrates that only about 10% of patients presenting with isolated orbital floor fracture develop an indication for surgery. For patients undergoing interval clinical follow-up, we found that patients demonstrated symptoms within 9 days of trauma. No patients demonstrated need for surgery beyond 2 weeks of injury. We believe these findings will assist to establish standards of care and inform clinicians on the appropriate length of follow-up for these injuries.