Fractures of the Lower Extremity after E-Bike, Bicycle, and Motorcycle Accidents: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 624 Patients

Electric bicycles (e-bikes) have gained enormous popularity in recent years, and as a result, they have successively become more involved in traffic accidents. The aim of the present study was to assess differences in severity and localization of injuries to the lower extremities after accidents wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-02, Vol.20 (4), p.3162
Main Authors: Rauer, Thomas, Aschwanden, Andrin, Rothrauff, Benjamin B, Pape, Hans-Christoph, Scherer, Julian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidents
Ankle
Bicycles
Bicycling
Classification
Cohort analysis
Contusions
Demographics
Electric bicycles
Electric vehicles
Emergency medical services
Extremities
Fractures
Gender differences
Injuries
Injury analysis
Localization
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
Motorcycles
Observational studies
Patients
Protective equipment
Statistical analysis
Subgroups
Traffic accidents
Traffic accidents & safety
Trauma
Vehicles
Velocity
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Summary:Electric bicycles (e-bikes) have gained enormous popularity in recent years, and as a result, they have successively become more involved in traffic accidents. The aim of the present study was to assess differences in severity and localization of injuries to the lower extremities after accidents with e-bikes, conventional bicycles, and motorcycles. A retrospective cohort-analysis of patients who sustained traumatic accidents with two-wheeled vehicles transferred to a level 1 trauma center in Switzerland was performed. We assessed patient demographics, injury pattern, and trauma severity (ISS), with a subgroup analysis of outcomes stratified by vehicle. In total, 624 patients (71% male) with injuries to the lower extremities after bicycle ( = 279), electric bike ( = 19), and motorcycle ( = 326) accident were included. The mean age of all assessed patients was 42.4 years (SD 15.8), with a significantly higher age in the e-bike cohort ( = 0.0001). High-velocity injuries were found significantly more often in the motorcycle and e-bike group. The motorcycle group had a significantly higher mean ISS (17.6) than the other groups ( = 0.0001). E-bike accidents produce a different injury profile to the lower extremities compared to motorcycle or bicycle accidents. Higher age, higher velocity, and different protective equipment seem to have an impact on these fracture patterns.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph20043162