6 Winter Storm Safety Tips To Avoid An ER Visit, From A Doctor |
A big storm is shaping up this weekend, taking aim at much of the United States from Friday through Sunday. It will bring heavy snow, ice, bitter cold and likely power outages. Here’s something that might surprise you: ERs are actually quiet during a storm. People hunker down. Then, in the hours and days after, there is a predictable and often preventable wave of patients.
Cardiovascular admissions jump 23% after a heavy snow. Cold-related visits soar and stay high. Falls spike by 18% in the week after a moderate snowfall. Ice storms, in fact, are more dangerous than snowstorms when it comes to injuries and illness. When a storm knocks out the power, the threat multiplies.
Drawing from my years as an ER doctor, here are six facts you should know to avoid landing in a hospital bed after the snowfall ends.
When the power fails, carbon monoxide can become a silent killer. People sometimes run generators too close to (or inside) the house. They use grills or camp stoves indoors. Snow blocks furnace vents, causing backdrafting. People use ovens and gas burners for heat.
Mild carbon monoxide exposure causes fatigue, dizziness, headache and nausea. These symptoms can mimic a viral infection and lead to misdiagnoses. More severe poisonings are easier to spot, causing disorientation, unconsciousness, seizures and even death.
If you take away nothing else, remember to keep........