Introduction: Escalators and moving stairways are omnipresent in modern life. No study to date has examined nationwide incidence and outcomes associated with injuries directly related to escalator use. The aim of this study was to describe the injury patterns, incidence, and disposition as it pertains to youth compared to adults.
Methods: Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed using National Electronic Injury Surveillance System data. The frequencies of categorical variables were calculated across the two age groups. Chi-squared test was performed on all categorical variables. Significance was defined as two-tailed P < 0.05. Logistic regression was used on variables that were determined to be significant from the frequency tables, with additional variable selection being used to arrive on a final model for each outcome.
Results: From 2009 to 2019, there were 810 youth and 3669 adults injured in escalator-associated emergency department visits. Incidence in the youth population decreased over time. Disposition was similar between groups. Injury types were similar among groups. White female adults were more likely to sustain injuries related to escalator use. Adult patients were also significantly more likely to sustain head/neck/facial trauma. Last, adult patients were found to be more likely to suffer a fatal event in comparison to the youth population.
Discussion: Differences in the injury patterns between youth and adult patients related to the use of escalators illustrate a need for improved injury prevention. Improved education and safety guidelines, particularly in individuals in ages 18 and up, would likely lessen the discrepancies between age groups identified in this study.
Keywords: trauma; trauma acute care.