@article{ref1,
title="Impact of comorbidities on hospitalization for injuries in riders of electric bikes and powered scooters: a retrospective cross-sectional study",
journal="Medicina (Lithuania)",
year="2022",
author="Hamzani, Yafit and Demetriou, Helena and Zelnik, Adi and Cohen, Nir and Drescher, Michael J. and Chaushu, Gavriel and Yahya, Bahaa Haj",
volume="58",
number="5",
pages="e659-e659",
abstract="Background and Objectives: Injuries associated with electric bikes (E-bikes) and powered scooters (P-scooters) have increased yearly worldwide. We aimed to evaluate the impact of pre-existing comorbidities on the probability of hospitalization for injuries in riders of E-bikes and P-scooters. <br><br>MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study design was used. The cohort included patients referred to the emergency department (ED) of a tertiary medical center in 2014-2020 for injuries sustained while riding an E-bike or P-scooter. Data were collected from the medical files on demographics, clinical characteristics including pre-existing comorbidities and permanent use of medications, and injury characteristics. <br><br>FINDINGS were compared between patients referred for hospitalization from the ED and patients discharged home. <br><br>RESULTS: Of the 1234 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 202 (16.4%) had a prior medical condition and 167 (13.5%) were taking medication on a permanent basis. A significant relationship was found between hospitalization and having a medical condition (chi-sq(1) = 9.20, p = 0.002) or taking medication on a permanent basis (chi-sq(1) = 6.24, p = 0.01). Hospitalization for injuries was more likely in patients with a comorbidity (27.8%) than those without a comorbidity (15.5%), and in patients who were on permanent drug therapy (22.2%) than in patients who were not (12.9%). Surprisingly, anticoagulant intake specifically had no effect on the probability of hospital admission. Conclusions: Patients with comorbidities have a higher incidence of hospitalization for E-bike- and P-scooter-associated injuries. Therefore, physicians may take into account comorbidities for the effective management of this patient group’s injuries.",
language="en",
issn="1010-660X",
doi="10.3390/medicina58050659",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/medicina58050659"
}