Winter Conditions Increase Trips to the Pediatric Emergency Room

Kids sleddingWinter Conditions Increase Trips to the Pediatric Emergency Room

“As the snow begins to fall, the number of childhood injuries begins to rise,” says Mike Clemmens, MD, director of Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Pediatric Emergency Department. Last year, between December and February, several hundred children came to the pediatric emergency department because of seasonal injury including falling on ice, sledding and snowboarding accidents. 

 

 

 

 

Here are five tips from Dr. Clemmens to keeps kids safe this winter:

  1. Make sure kids sled feet first with their bottom on the sled. Make sure they have a clear path in front, avoiding hills that end in sharp drop-offs, ponds, streets, or trees.
  2. Wear a helmet when ice skating.
  3. Stay on top of your child’s asthma treatments— cold air is a trigger.
  4. Keep children away from space heaters and candles.
  5. Avoid outdoor activities in extremely low temperatures.

About Anne Arundel Medical Center Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC), a regional health system headquartered in Annapolis, Md., serves an area of more than one million people. Founded in 1902, AAMC includes a 425-bed not-for-profit hospital, a medical group, imaging services, a substance use treatment center, and health enterprises. In addition to a 57-acre Annapolis campus, AAMC has outpatient pavilions in Bowie, Kent Island, Odenton, and Waugh Chapel. AAMC is nationally recognized for its joint replacement center, emergency heart attack response and cancer care.  A leader in women’s services, AAMC delivers the state’s second highest number of births annually and has a Level 3 NICU. With more than 1,000 medical staff members, 3,900 employees and 750 volunteers, AAMC consistently receives awards for quality, patient satisfaction and innovation. To learn more, visit askAAMC.org.