Original Article
Rolling danger: the epidemiology of injuries caused by hover boards in the United States in five years (2011–2016)
Abstract
Background: Hover boards (HBs) are two-wheeled, gliding motorized boards that have taken over the sidewalks and the social media recently. There have been health concerns raised about the safety of such devices and incidents of serious injuries and fires have been reported. The aim of this study is to provide an updated overview about the injuries associated with the use of HBs in the United States between January 2011 and November 2016.
Methods: A retrospective review for the all incidents reported to the United States National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) in which HBs were the main vehicle between January 2011 and November 2016.
Results: There were 77 incidents in which HBs were involved. The years 2015 and 2016 had the highest reported incidents of 34% and 47% respectively. The mean age of individuals involved in such incidents was 24.3 years with interquartile range (IQR) from 6 to 96 years old. Males constituted 51% of the reported cases. There were 22 cases of fractures, 10 burn injuries and 8 of head injuries of varying severity. Of all incidents, 14% required hospital admission for further management and 3 cases required an admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). There were 9 fatalities from HB injuries during the study period.
Conclusions: The use of HBs increases the risk of sustaining different injuries among different age groups. Injuries can be either due to the device catching fire or due to falling off the device. Injuries can be variable in severity and can affect different body parts with no specific pattern. The use of these devices is hazardous and if they were to be used, protective equipment while using them is highly recommended.
Methods: A retrospective review for the all incidents reported to the United States National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) in which HBs were the main vehicle between January 2011 and November 2016.
Results: There were 77 incidents in which HBs were involved. The years 2015 and 2016 had the highest reported incidents of 34% and 47% respectively. The mean age of individuals involved in such incidents was 24.3 years with interquartile range (IQR) from 6 to 96 years old. Males constituted 51% of the reported cases. There were 22 cases of fractures, 10 burn injuries and 8 of head injuries of varying severity. Of all incidents, 14% required hospital admission for further management and 3 cases required an admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). There were 9 fatalities from HB injuries during the study period.
Conclusions: The use of HBs increases the risk of sustaining different injuries among different age groups. Injuries can be either due to the device catching fire or due to falling off the device. Injuries can be variable in severity and can affect different body parts with no specific pattern. The use of these devices is hazardous and if they were to be used, protective equipment while using them is highly recommended.
