Secular trends in the incidence and severity of injuries sustained by riders of electric bikes and powered scooters: The experience of a level 1 adult trauma center.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of injuries caused by electric bicycles (E-bikes) and powered scooters (P-scooters) continues to increase. Data on the severity of those injuries is conflicting. The purpose of this study was to explore secular trends in the incidence and severity characteristics of patients following E-bike and P-scooter injuries and predictors for major trauma. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≥16 years following E-bike and P-scooter injuries was performed at a level 1-trauma center between 2017 and 2022. We explored secular trends in major trauma cases (primary outcome), emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, and surgical interventions (secondary outcomes). Major trauma was defined by either an injury severity score (ISS) >15 or the patient's need for acute care, defined by any of the following: Intensive care unit admission, direct disposition to the operating room, acute interventions performed in the trauma room, and in-hospital death. Primary and secondary outcomes were compared between two time frames (2017-2018 vs.2019-2022). RESULTS: In total, 9748 patients were presented following P-scooter and E-bike injuries. Of them, 1183 patients (12.1%) were hospitalized (854 males [72.2%],median age 33 years, median ISS 9).During the study period, the number of ED visits increased by 21-fold, with a parallel increase hospitalizations and surgical interventions numbers, which increased by 3.4-and 3.8-fold, respectively. Numbers of patients with ISSs >15 and patients who required acute care sharply increased during the study period, but no significant differences were found in the percentages of patients with ISSs >15 (p = 0.78) or patients' need for acute care (p = 0.32) between early and late periods. A severity analysis revealed that male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.7 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2-2.4], p = 0.001) and E-bike riders compared to P-scooter riders (aOR 1.5 [95% CI:1.1-2.0], p = 0.005) were independent predictors for severe trauma. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of E-bike and P-scooter injuries sharply increased over time, with a parallel elevation in numbers of hospitalizations, surgical interventions, and major trauma cases. Major trauma percentages did not increase during the study period. Male sex and E-bikes emerged as independent predictors for major trauma.

Properties of ultrasound-rapid MRI clinical diagnostic pathway in suspected pediatric appendicitis.

OBJECTIVE: to determine diagnostic accuracy of an US-MRI clinical diagnostic pathway to detect appendicitis in the emergency department (ED). STUDY DESIGN: prospective cohort study of 624 previously healthy children 4-17 years old undergoing US for suspected appendicitis and clinical re-assessment. Children with non-diagnostic USs and persistent appendicitis concern/conclusive US-reassessment discrepancies underwent ultra-rapid MRI (US-MRI pathway), interpreted as positive, negative or non-diagnostic. Cases with missed appendicitis, negative appendectomies, and CT utilization were considered clinically diagnostically inaccurate. Primary outcome was the proportion of accurate diagnoses of appendicitis/lack thereof by the pathway. RESULTS: 150/624 (24%) children had appendicitis;255 USs (40.9%) were non-diagnostic. Of 139 US-MRI pathway children (after 117 non-diagnostic and 22 conclusive USs), 137 [98.6%; 95% CI 0.96-1.00] had clinically accurate outcomes (1 CT, 1 negative appendectomy): sensitivity 18/18 [100%], specificity 119/121 [98.3%], positive predictive value 18/20 [90.5%], negative predictive value 119/119 [100%]. MRI imaging accuracy was 134/139 (96.4%); 3 MRIs were non-diagnostic (no appendicitis). In the overall algorithm, 616/624 [98.7% (0.97-0.99)] patients had accurate outcomes: 147/150 (98.0%) appendicitis cases had confirmatory surgeries (3 CTs) and 469/474 (98.9%) appendicitis-negative children had no surgery/CT. CONCLUSION: this study demonstrated high clinical accuracy of the US-rapid-MRI pathway in suspected pediatric appendicitis after non-diagnostic US.