[By Katrina Kardos, MD, Medical Director, Emergency Department, Samaritan Hospital.]
Summer has arrived and hopefully the sunshine and warmer temps are finally here to stay after a dreary spring. As you make plans for the coming months, keep safety in mind so an unexpected trip to the hospital emergency department doesn’t spoil the summer fun.
Getting outdoors to playgrounds, pools and campgrounds puts kids particularly at risk. More than 9 million kids every year go to emergency rooms and urgent care centers for nonfatal injuries, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those, an estimated 3.5 million children aged 14 and under are seen for sports- and recreation-related injuries.
Young adolescents (aged 10-14) have the highest injury rates of any age group. The major categories are:
Wheels: About half of the injuries to kids involve bicycles, skates and skateboards. Most injuries are broken bones and muscle sprains, but for those kids not wearing helmets it can also mean traumatic brain injuries.
Water: Drowning is the second-leading cause of death for children under age 12.
The key to safety? Proper supervision. Younger children should be kept within arm’s reach around the pool, lake or other bodies of water. Kids using bikes, skates and skateboards should wear helmets and other protective gear. It’s a tragedy when a child is left disabled for life for simply failing to wear a helmet.
Adults are also at risk for injury, between involvement in sports, recreation on boats and all-terrain vehicles, and duties involving lawn mowers, tractors and weed trimmers. Limit alcohol use in these situations and follow all recommended safety tips. Having a first aid kit on hand is always a good idea.
Basic common sense applies when you are working in the yard:
- Wear sturdy shoes
- Clear away loose objects before using lawn equipment
- Keep kids and pets away
- Wear hearing and eye protection
- Don’t put gasoline in a hot engine.
Whenever you are going to be outside for more than 15 minutes, use sunblock to protect from sunburn (and possibly developing skin cancer). Drink enough water to avoid overheating and possible heat stroke.
In addition to injury prevention, people with certain conditions must also take care in the summer. Persons with asthma who have certain environmental allergies, such as to pollen, should be careful not to get over-exposed. And the very young, very old or persons with underlying heart conditions are also at high risk for heat illness.
When every second counts, St. Peter’s Health Partners has top-quality emergency departments and urgent care centers throughout the Capital Region. Our emergency departments in Albany (St. Peter’s Hospital and Albany Memorial Campus) and Troy (Samaritan Hospital) are open 24 hours, seven days a week, offering a wide range of services for emergency care with highly trained staff, diagnostic testing and access to specialists.
For more information, visit us at https://www.sphp.com/for-patients/think-before-you-go
