Dangerous holidays: What do doctors face in the New Year holidays
During the winter holidays, it’s not up to trips to the health center, and after them, even more so - a new working year begins with a lot of things to do. Because of this, many people until the last set aside an appeal to a doctor in order not to spoil plans and moods for themselves and their loved ones. However, such a "care" can be a disservice. For example, the symptoms of usual poisoning and heart attack are often similar: nausea, vomiting, chest discomfort.
What problems are most often addressed to a doctor during and after a long vacation and how to solve them, we found out from experts: Candidate of Medical Sciences, member of the European Society of Sports Traumatology, knee surgery and arthroscopy (ESSKA), orthopedic traumatologist Yuri Glazkov, maxillary -Facial surgeon Yaroslav Lavrentiev and the chief physician of the Clinic of Dr. Shipkov, Vladimir Shipkov.
Hypothermia and frostbite
According to the doctor Yuri Glazkov, not every organism is ready for long walks, when there is a minus outside the window. Even if there is no wind outside and it is not too cold, you should dress according to the weather. You do not need to abandon thermal underwear, especially if the plans for sports or other street activities. Such equipment will help to sweat from the surface of the skin, protecting the body from hypothermia. But to drink an alcoholic cocktail before going out into the frost is a bad idea: it “drowns out” the work of receptors that react to the cold, and dilates the vessels. In this state, you can not feel the cold for a long time and do not take measures against hypothermia.
Symptoms of hypothermia (that is, too low body temperature) are trembling, chills, pain in the fingers and toes. When hypothermia experts advise as soon as possible to be in a heated room, change into warm dry clothes, restore blood circulation by rubbing your fingers and toes, and drink a cup of hot tea. Emergency medical care should be sought if frostbite is suspected, when the skin appears pale in the damaged areas, loses sensitivity and becomes covered with blisters with a clear liquid.
Poisoning and food allergies
We hope that in your refrigerators there are no remnants of festive dishes anymore - but the old New Year is on the nose, the celebration of which is associated with a new wave of ambulance calls. Digestive disorders are associated with overeating, and poisoning is not the freshest products, and the use of unusual seafood and tropical fruits often provoke an allergic reaction. In this case, the timely reception of an antihistamine will help to save the day - but even with a call from the doctor, it is impossible to make it worse, especially if the person’s condition began to deteriorate, such as increased body temperature, an increased area of rash, edema in the face or neck, or blood pressure fell.
The main danger in the use of alcohol is surrogate poisoning (the symptoms of such poisoning are similar to the usual alcohol intoxication); unfortunately, no one is immune from buying low-quality alcohol, even in a good store. If after alcohol you suddenly become ill or the condition of everyone who drank from the same bottle has deteriorated, call an ambulance. Before the arrival of the doctors, one should try to induce vomiting in order to prevent the ingress of toxic substances into the blood.
Burns
Hand and face burns as a result of the use of fireworks, firecrackers, sparklers, firecrackers are another common cause of emergency medical attention. If the package indicates that pyrotechnics is intended for use on the street, do not try to light it indoors. It is important not only to choose certified products when buying and check that there are no dents on the objects, but also to observe safety precautions: cases where firecrackers explode in their hands, burning sparks get into the eyes, and a sharp explosion causes hearing loss is not uncommon.
If the fireworks did not work, wait at least five minutes before approaching it: the wick can smolder and predict the launch moment is very difficult. In addition, some pyrotechnic products may work from heating or even friction, so never carry them in your pockets. We have already told how to properly cool the affected area in the event of a burn — keep under running cold water for at least fifteen minutes. If the eyes or respiratory tract are damaged, one cannot do without the help of doctors.
Cuts
Cutting a finger while cooking or when unpacking a gift is a classic trauma when you hurry. In this case, it will not be superfluous to be safe - to wear kitchen or even building gloves if you have to open a large box. If it was not possible to avoid trouble, take care to sanitize the wound with hydrogen peroxide or an alcohol solution, treat the area around the cut with iodine and tape or apply a plaster. If the blood fails to stop within fifteen minutes, call an ambulance: if there are cuts on the hands and wrists, nerves and tendons can be damaged, and if there is a wound in the joints, you may need to stitches.
Remember about safety and when you begin to disassemble a Christmas tree: glass toys are often broken into the smallest, almost invisible fragments. Move aside everything that may make cleaning difficult, do not walk barefoot, and if the toy is still broken, wipe the floor even in the far corners of the room.
Bruises and fractures
A large number of slippery surfaces (such as ice), as well as winter sports are the main causes of injury during this period. Even innocuous, at first glance, sledding from a hill does not exclude the threat of a collision with an obstacle or a strong blow in the fall. According to the surgeon Yaroslav Lavrentyev, the use of inflatable sleds (also called “cheesecakes” or “tubing”) is the most dangerous winter fun, which often leads to an emergency room. Despite the fact that the inflatable round chamber is able to soften the blows during a fall and collision, during the descent the cheesecake can develop high speed even on slopes with a slight incline and rotate around its axis. However, it does not have a brake, so that control becomes impossible. A concussion, various leg injuries, compression fractures of the spine are just some of the consequences of riding on such sleds. To reduce the risk of injury, go down on the "cheesecake" should only be on specially prepared tracks, holding the straps on the sides.
Vladimir Shipkov notes that the frequent reason for visiting the doctor on holidays is also a sharp toothache as a result of a blow to the jaw area. It is easy to earn such an injury by riding, for example, a snowmobile, snowboarding or skiing without observing safety rules. Extreme driving of a snowmobile often turns into a trip to obstacles hidden under the snow - stones or hemp - at speed. In such cases, we can already talk about the threat to life - and it is possible to preserve it thanks to a helmet and equipment that protects the spine. But even if you are not fond of extreme sports, you should remember the risks of ice and be able to group properly when falling: do not put forward straight arms, press your chin to your chest, do not land on the tail bone and always try to roll to the side. Comfortable clothes, winter shoes with ribbed non-slip soles and the ability to not hurry will help reduce the risk of falling.
The traumatologist-orthopedist, Yuri Glazkov, draws attention to the fact that with a header, possible sprains and fractures, it is necessary to assess the symptoms as quickly as possible, and if the victim loses consciousness, complains of nausea or has a deformed limb, call an ambulance. It happens that a person fell and hit the next day after a stormy celebration - and further dizziness, with nausea, blamed on hangovers; the cause may be a concussion. Therefore, if there is no certainty about the reasons for the indisposition, the right decision would be to consult a doctor.
Photo:djekill2007 - stock.adobe.com, Andrzej Tokarski - stock.adobe.com, Emilia Stasiak - stock.adobe.com
