Dr. Michael Levine, emergency medicine and medical toxicology expert, is available to speak about common injuries that occur around the holiday season, and how to avoid them.
Below are some of the topics he is often asked about.
Can you tell us about the common injuries you see in the emergency room during the holidays?
People getting injured from falling off ladders while putting up decorations, or getting intoxicated and injured are the most common causes people come to the emergency room around the holidays.
You would be surprised how many children also accidentally swallow their grandparent’s medication.
What are the reasons these injuries occur?
Those who put up decorations may not be experienced in regularly climbing ladders. As a result, they reach too far and fall off. There is also an increased number of office, family, and friend parties and people need to realize how much they drink.
When grandparents stay with relatives, they are not used to locking up medications and forget to put medications out of reach. Beyond the holidays, if you have children at home, it is a good idea to keep this in mind whenever you have older house guests.
How can this be avoided?
I recommend getting assistance when hanging up decorations on a ladder and being aware of how much alcohol is consumed at a party.
I also advise grandparents to lock up their medications when visiting family.
Are there any other general safety tips you recommend?
This is a good time of the year to make sure the smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector have working batteries. Also, make sure any toys that have "button batteries" (the type that is used in hearing aids) are firmly out of reach of children, as these can be fatal if swallowed by a small child.
RSS