TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Impact of comorbidities on hospitalization for injuries in riders of electric bikes and powered scooters: a retrospective cross-sectional study
JO  - Medicina (Lithuania)
A1  - Hamzani, Yafit
A1  - Demetriou, Helena
A1  - Zelnik, Adi
A1  - Cohen, Nir
A1  - Drescher, Michael J.
A1  - Chaushu, Gavriel
A1  - Yahya, Bahaa Haj
SP  - e659
EP  - e659
VL  - 58
IS  - 5
N2  - 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.
LA  - en
SN  - 1010-660X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/medicina58050659
ID  - ref1
ER  -