5 Things ED Doctors Want You to Avoid This Summer
We asked our emergency physicians how to avoid landing up in the ED this summer.
1. Don't forget your eyes when gardening
Thousands of people show up in emergency departments across Australia each year with a “foreign body” in their eye. That’s about as pleasant as it sounds.
Dr Dilyara Mulraney, Deputy Medical Director at Calvary Adelaide Emergency Department, told me that many of the eye injuries she treats occur when people are gardening, welding, or doing woodwork – without safety glasses.
Any time there is a danger of a projectile coming toward your face – “basically outdoors or handiwork work in general,” Dr Mulraney said – you’re at risk of a severe eye injury. “I have seen people have to have their eye removed completely,” she added.
Patients will tell her that they were just trimming the hedge or a small fruit tree, Dr Mulraney said, but an injury can happen in a second.
A pair of goggles goes a long way in terms of protecting your vision, added Dr Mulraney, “Even though they don’t look very cool,” she said.
2. Don't mow the lawn in thongs
Dr Mohines Pala, the Medical Director at Calvary Adelaide Emergency Department, said that he had seen what happens when people cut grass in thongs. If you slip, Dr Pala said, you could be looking at an amputation. Instead, he said, wear shoes with a closed toe. But not Crocs – they are a slip hazard on grass!
And if you have a lawn tractor or a Quad bike, don’t let young kids ride on it with you, Dr Pala said, adding that accidents are routine.
3. And never ride an escalator in thongs
Everyone has a pair of thongs, and we wear them everywhere in summer, but don’t step onto an escalator in them – ever! The lip of the thong can get caught in the escalator tread and cause horrific injuries, including broken limbs and even amputation, according to Dr Chris Gavaghan, Medical Director of the Calvary Lenah Valley Emergency Department.
4. Don't slice an avacado (or a tomato) in a hurry.
Mike Natale, the Medical Director at Buderim Private Emergency Centre, said knife injuries in the kitchen were among the most frequent injuries he saw.
Avocados are a major culprit, Dr Natale added. “Sometimes I’ll even ask, ‘Were you cutting an avocado? ‘” he said. “And they’ll reply: ‘Yes! How did you know?”
When cutting fruit and vegetables, never hold them in your hand; always slice away from your hand and onto a firm surface.
5. Never put your feet on the dashboard
If you’re in the passenger seat of a car, it can be tempting to put your feet on the dashboard. But don’t do it – ever – said several doctors, including Dr Jarrod Koh, a senior emergency physician at Calvary Adelaide Emergency Department.
Airbags deploy in less than a twentieth of a second, and when that happens, he said, you have no time to move your legs. The result, Dr Koh said, is that “the knees, hips and legs can be forcefully pushed into your face, or strike your head, which can cause a traumatic brain injury.”
He has seen facial and leg fractures as well as hip dislocations. “We’ve even seen spinal cord injuries,” he said.