News
Snowy Weather - Can Be Crunch Time In The ER
By John Burton
RED BANK - The snowy winter has brought a number of people to area emergency rooms after heart attacks, falls and other winter-related accidents.
Dr. Howard Rubinstein, director for Riverview Medical Center's Emergency Department said there has been an increase in snow-related injuries this year.
One of the most often seen injuries related to snowstorms stems from the use of snowblowers, he said. The emergency department actually sees more injuries caused by snowblowers than from lawnmowers, Rubinstein said.
"People are a little less careful with snow blowers," he said, noting that while people know not to put their hands under lawnmowers, "People don't realize you don't stick your hand in the chute (of a snowblower), either."
So far this winter, with its three significant storms, the department has seen about half a dozen snowblower cases ranging from simple nicks to severe injuries to hands and fingers.
One of the most common complaints in winter, related to snow, involves patients arriving complaining of chest pains from shoveling the snow and slush.
"We've actually had a couple of heart attacks come in, from people shoveling snow," Rubinstein said, with one fatality among about 24 people reporting chest pains.
The storm at the end of February brought heavy, wet snow, which was difficult to shovel. When you shovel, Rubinstein says, "What you're doing is giving yourself your own stress test," and when you had the heart attack, "you failed."
ER docs have also seen a number of bumps and bruises sustained by younger patients who fail to take proper precautions as they sled and snowboard, and the elderly.
There are "a lot of slips on the snow, slips on the ice," Rubinstein noted, which results in fractured ankles and other injuries.
"Certainly, you see it in older folks, because they're less steady on their feet," Rubinstein explained. "You see it in the younger kids who don't take the proper precautions; a little reckless in their behavior."
To avoid a winter injury, Rubinstein recommends 'common sense.'
Older folks should avoid the severe cold, for fear of hypothermia, which can be exacerbated by age and medication; stay inside when conditions are icy and avoid snow shoveling, if possible.
"They could have an unknown coronary condition and run into trouble when they start shoveling."
