Your ER Doc » Stay out of my ER! http://www.yourerdoc.com Stories from the Emergency Room plus answers to your medical and health related questions Sat, 01 May 2010 19:50:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 en hourly 1 Worst construction accidents I have seen http://www.yourerdoc.com/worst-construction-accidents-i-have-seen/ http://www.yourerdoc.com/worst-construction-accidents-i-have-seen/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 05:53:41 +0000 Your ER Doc http://www.yourerdoc.com/?p=1548 10-best-must-have-power-tools-gear-patrolI was attempting to build a deck today, pretending to be a handy guy, and as per my usual custom thinking about the worst construction accidents I have seen.

These are not just morbid ruminations of my darker side, but useful ways to avoid being hurt. Standing on a ladder while using a circular saw to cut off a piece of trim really gets the imagination going, because of the sheer number of different ways to lacerate, contuse, dismember, and abrade your body. For instance, I must remember to keep the ladder secure so I don’t tip over, breaking my wrist and impaling my face on a piece of rebar.

I can’t cut off a piece of lumber, and let it fall on my foot and then break my neck when I stumble in pain. Perhaps most importantly, I want to make sure I don’t position my body over a fence so that if I do fall off the ladder, I don’t straddle the fence and crush my testicles. Even when I’m finished using the circular saw, I must remember not to set it down while it’s running, so that it doesn’t run over my foot and amputate my toes. In fact, I’ve gotten so paranoid about all of these scenarios that sometimes I find myself just staring at my power tools, too afraid to pick them up.

Perhaps this is why the deck is unfinished after 6 months.

]]> http://www.yourerdoc.com/worst-construction-accidents-i-have-seen/feed/ 1 Number 7 on The Top 10 Ways to Avoid the ER http://www.yourerdoc.com/number-7-on-the-top-10-ways-to-avoid-the-er/ http://www.yourerdoc.com/number-7-on-the-top-10-ways-to-avoid-the-er/#comments Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:06:06 +0000 Your ER Doc http://www.yourerdoc.com/?p=1023

Welcome to another installment of the Top 10 Ways to Avoid the ER.

Don’t get overweight

Have you ever seen a little sign on a step ladder that tells you how many pounds it can support? Typically it will say that it is rated for no more than 250 pounds, for example. Unfortunately, our bodies do not come with a weight limit rating printed on our foreheads, but they should. Once you have exceeded your own personal limit, you cannot expect your body to function normally, but you can expect to come visit me in the ER. You will be more likely to have strokes, heart attacks, problems with your joints, injuries, etc. Take a moment to calculate your body mass index (BMI), and if you are higher than 25, you’ve got some work to do.
By the way, this is a good site to calculate your BMI.
]]> http://www.yourerdoc.com/number-7-on-the-top-10-ways-to-avoid-the-er/feed/ 4 Window Blind Recall http://www.yourerdoc.com/window-blind-recall/ http://www.yourerdoc.com/window-blind-recall/#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2008 04:13:24 +0000 Your ER Doc http://www.yourerdoc.com/?p=695

There is currently a major national recall of window blinds due to several strangulation deaths of  children. Apparently many of these blinds were sold at IKEA.

 

I personally have never seen a child who was strangled on a window shade or blind before, but I have to say I am sensitive to the issue. 

 

As a resident, I was in the ER when a 3 year old girl was brought in with choking.  She had been eating a type of candy that was kind of like a big gummy bear.

 

 

Unfortunately, by the time she was brought in to the ER, she was unconscious, and had been without adequate air for about 20 minutes.  We were able to get a tube down her airway, and pull out the candy, but she was brain dead by that time. 

 

That case made me re-think my entire career. 

 

The look on her father’s face still haunts me.

 

I’m curious if anyone has any stories of other choking hazards, and specifically problems with window shades or blinds.

 

]]> http://www.yourerdoc.com/window-blind-recall/feed/ 6 Peanut and Food Allergies and Halloween in the ER http://www.yourerdoc.com/peanut-and-food-allergies-and-halloween-in-the-er/ http://www.yourerdoc.com/peanut-and-food-allergies-and-halloween-in-the-er/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:54:29 +0000 Your ER Doc http://www.yourerdoc.com/?p=532 Well, it’s that time of year again – October 31st is always an interesting evening in the ER.
I would like to offer this tip to avoid Halloween turning into a true nightmare.
Most ER docs grow to have a healthy respect, (and fear) of peanut allergies. I have seen some truly impressive allergic reactions to peanuts, and Halloween is a particularly dangerous time for children who have these allergies.
The reason is simple. Kids love candy and want to cram as much of it as possible into their mouths, often all at once. If their parents let down their guard and allow even one candy bar with peanuts to be swallowed, the results can be very dangerous.
The last time I saw a child with a peanut allergy, it was from eating a homemade treat that had peanuts in it. The parents were not aware of this, and the boy developed severe hives and wheezing. He ended up doing well after treatment, but everybody got a scare.
If your child has allergies be sure to review this post on Epi Pens:
So please, if your child has a nut, or other food allergy, please take all the candy home for careful inspection prior to eating. Then we can all relax.
If you have a child with a peanut allergy you may find this site and check list helpful:
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