This time of year presents a set of challenges to staying well unique to the season.
by Stephanie Vaccaro, Special Writer
This time of year presents a set of challenges to staying well unique to the season. Cold and flu season begins. Depression during the holidays can greet you. And emergency rooms see a number of other cases. Some may be familiar and expected, and others may not.
Heart attacks while shoveling snow
Somewhat surprisingly, Dr. Craig Gronczewski, chairmen of emergency medicine at the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, listed among the winter ailments they see in the ER snow shoveling induced heart attacks.
It’s the perfect storm. “People have sudden cardiac arrest while shoveling snow,” he said. “So, what happens is the cold weather is actually a vaso-constrictor. So the coronary arteries will get narrower, tighter. So it’s harder to get blood flow through. And you combine that with physical exertion, it’s a bad combination. It’ll exacerbate any underlying issue. If you have mild coronary artery disease, you’re making yourself as symptomatic as someone with severe coronary artery disease, just because of the environment.
”So, you really have to be careful,” he said. “If you’re not a physically fit person, if there’s a question in terms of the health of your heart, it may not be the best idea to go out and shovel a lot of snow in the cold.”
Snow blowers
Dr. Gronczewski sees patients come in with snow blower injuries. Sometimes snow will get clumped up inside the machine and people will reach in and try to dislodge it with their hand. Because some snow blowers are built with tension bands, once the snow is dislodged, the blade will swing forward and do quite a bit of damage to one’s hand.
”I’ve never seen enough to cut somebody’s fingers off, but definitely near amputations and major lacerations,” he said.
Falling off ladders
Because it’s a time of year people find themselves scurrying up ladders to hand holiday decorations, decorate tress and clean out the gutters, the ER will see its share of cases of people falling off ladders. Dr. Gronczewski said he recently learned that the proper way to go down a ladder involves keeping hands on the outside of the ladder vs. clasping each rung as you descend. That way, should you slip, your hands are free to brace your fall.
Hypothermia
In this area, the hospital usually sees cases resulting from people spending too much time outdoors improperly dressed while doing recreational activities, rather than cases of the homeless like more urban hospitals would see.
”There’s no absolute cutoff or time, it really depends on factors,” Dr. Gronczewski said, including exposure, temperature and protection. It may seem obvious, but once your clothes get wet, your feet and hands are more susceptible to frostbite. And, Dr. Groncweski pointed out, not all winter clothes are made equally.
Ornaments on the tree
People also come into the ER with eye injuries from the decorations on the tree. While decorating the tree, sometimes the pine needles on swinging branches can hit people in the eye and cause corneal abrasions. This can also happen from blowing leaves.
Respiratory illnesses
Because flu season has started, the ER also sees a number of people with respiratory illnesses.
”If you have an influenza-like fever or cough, things like that, you should really socially distance yourself to prevent spreading illness,” he said. “Social distancing works, so keep yourself 6 feet away or more from people.”
And vaccinations are important as well.
”The CDC has adopted recommendations for flu vaccinations,” he said. “Everyone, unless you have definite contraindications to the vaccine, for instance allergic reactions to it, they’re recommending that all patients get vaccinated for the flu.”
The minimum age is six months for the flu vaccine. He recommended looking at cdc.gov for additional information about the vaccine.
Motor vehicle accidents and slipping and falling on ice
Emergency rooms see a number of cases motor vehicle accidents and cases of people having slipped and fallen on ice.
”The icy conditions are really what impacts that,” he said. “It’s important to slow down. You really have to change your driving habits.”
He noted the importance of maintaining extra distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. “You don’t want to put yourself in the position where you have to abruptly slam on the breaks,” he said.
Depression and suicide
”There’s an increase in the suicide rate during the holidays,” he said. “So, we have a lot of people come to the ER with behavioral mental health disorders.”
So, it’s important to seek help.

