The number of patients at the Semmelweis University Traumatology Clinic increases drastically in the event of sleet, ice, snow, or slippery roads. In such cases, doctors treat up to fifty percent more patients than on a normal, rain-free, winter day. Patients mostly come to the clinic with limb injuries, fractures or sprains, but in the older age group, due to osteoporosis, more serious shoulder or hip injuries may also occur. That’s why only those who absolutely have to should set off at such a time, warns the clinic’s director.
“Overall, the seasonal fluctuation is around ten to twenty percent in the winter period compared to the rest of the year, that is, on average, we treat so many more injured people at the clinic compared to the spring, summer and autumn periods. However, if the roads become slippery due to sleet, the number of injured people in need of care increases significantly, and the increase can even reach forty to fifty percent.” says dr. Tamás Bodzay, director of the Semmelweis University Traumatology Clinic.
“In such cases, falls and bone fractures, i.e. limb damage caused by low-energy force impact, are typical. Older people suffer different types of fractures due to osteoporosis than young and middle-aged people with good bone stock.
In younger people, wrist, ankle and leg injuries mostly occur, while in the elderly we tend to encounter shoulder, wrist and hip injuries or pubic bone fractures. The severity of the cases also depends on the general condition of the patient
says the traumatologist.
On average, ten to twelve patients out of a hundred need hospital treatment, the rest can be treated as outpatients, and the fractures can be fixed with a plaster cast, the clinic director knows. He adds that the number of traffic accidents also increases at this time, but they also occur as a result of high-energy force impact, which is why they can also cause life-threatening injury combinations.
It is important to know that in the case of lower extremity wounds, whether a plaster cast is applied or the patient needs surgical care, anticoagulation treatment becomes necessary.
Tips for slippery roads:
- The best prevention is that those who do not absolutely need it do not drive on slippery, icy roads.
- If it is absolutely necessary to leave home, then let’s leave on time so that we can travel safely in accordance with the weather conditions!
- Let’s plan the route and think about how our older relatives can avoid slippery stairs and road sections!
- If we can, we should help our older relatives and neighbors with daily shopping and administration (e.g. post office)!
- When driving on the road, strictly follow traffic rules and speed limits, use winter tires, a high-visibility vest and the appropriate means of transport for the season, e.g. public transport instead of the scooter!
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University – illustration: iStock
Source: Semmelweis University
Source: www.patikamagazin.hu
