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Observational Study
. 2017 Oct;18(6):993-999.
doi: 10.5811/westjem.2017.6.34264. Epub 2017 Sep 22.

Injuries Associated with Hoverboard Use: A Case Series of Emergency Department Patients

Gregory S Weingart  1   2 , Lindsey Glueckert  1 , Girlyn A Cachaper  3 , Kathie S Zimbro  3 , Ralitsa S Maduro  3 , Francis Counselman  1   2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Injuries Associated with Hoverboard Use: A Case Series of Emergency Department Patients

Gregory S Weingart et al. West J Emerg Med. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Introduction: Since hoverboards became available in 2015, 2.5 million have been sold in the US. An increasing number of injuries related to their use have been reported, with limited data on associated injury patterns. We describe a case series of emergency department (ED) visits for hoverboard-related injuries.

Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review on patients presenting to 10 EDs in southeastern Virginia from December 24, 2015, through June 30, 2016. We used a free-text search feature of the electronic medical record to identify patients documented to have the word "hoverboard" in the record. We reported descriptive statistics for patient demographics, types of injuries, body injury location, documented helmet use, injury severity score (ISS), length of stay in the ED, and ED charges.

Results: We identified 83 patients in our study. The average age was 26 years old (18 months to 78 years). Of these patients, 53% were adults; the majority were female (61.4%) and African American (56.6%). The primary cause of injury was falls (91%), with an average ISS of 5.4 (0-10). The majority of injuries were contusions (37.3%) and fractures (36.1%). Pediatric patients tended to have more fractures than adults (46.2% vs 27.3%). Though 20% of patients had head injuries, only one patient reported using a helmet. The mean and median ED charges were $2,292.00 (SD $1,363.64) and $1,808.00, respectively. Head injuries resulted in a significantly higher cost when compared to other injuries; median cost was $2,846.00.

Conclusion: While the overall ISS was low, more pediatric patients suffered fractures compared to adults. Documented helmet use was low, yet 20% of our population had head injuries. Further investigation into proper protective gear and training is warranted.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. No author has professional or financial relationships with any companies that are relevant to this study. There are no conflicts of interest or sources of funding to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percent of hoverboard injuries by injury type and age category (N=83). Peds, pediatrics.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percent of hoverboard injuries by injury site and age category (N=83). Peds, pediatrics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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