Resident Physician Yale University School of Medicine
Background: Electronic bicycles or “e-bikes” have gained significant popularity as personal transportation devices in the United States.
Learning/Study Objective: To quantify the prevalence of injuries to the head and neck due to e-bike use, and to compare head and neck injury patterns seen with electronic and pedal bicycles.
Design Type: Retrospective Cohort Study
Method: The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was queried from 2009 to 2020 for patients with head and neck injuries related to both electronic and pedal bicycles. Data was extracted pertaining to patient demographics, injury pattern, and treatment disposition. Univariate chi-squared analyses were performed to compare injury characteristics between groups.
Results: There were 9,916 electronic bicycle-related head and neck injuries in 2020, up from 2,993 in 2009. Adult males represented the majority of both electronic and pedal bicycle injuries, with a greater proportion of pediatric patients in the pedal bicycle group (46.7% vs 19.9% electronic, p<0.0001). For both groups, the most common injury types were laceration, internal injury, and contusion/abrasion to the head or face. E-bike injuries were more likely to involve fractures (10.9% vs 6.0% pedal, p<0.0001), and were associated with higher rates of hospital admission (14.9% vs 7.8% pedal, p<0.0001).
Conclusion: The incidence of head and neck injuries related to e-bike use has significantly increased since 2009. In comparison to conventional bicycle injuries, e-bike injuries are more likely to cause facial fractures and lead to hospitalization. Physicians should maintain a high index of suspicion for serious injuries when evaluating injuries sustained from e-bikes.