Be careful during the holidays too!

11 December 2020

Typical Christmas accidents through the eyes of an emergency medicine specialist

It is understandable if we are in an elevated state of mind during the holiday preparations. In our hectic lives, it is very stressful to finish everything in time. That is why we can be more careless in the midst of buying gifts, decorating the tree, cooking, and other things to do, which can even lead to accidents. We talked about the frequency and types of these accidents with dr. Péter Kanizsai, associate professor, head of the University of Pécs Clinical Center Department of Emergency Medicine.

 

Written by Rita Schweier

 

-If the types of accidents occurring at Christmas were to be ranked according to their frequency, which one would be at the forefront and how would the further order look like?

-Of the traumatic accidents, hand injuries often occur in connection with the carving of the tree, and the typical kitchen accidents, cuts and burns can also be included here. In slippery weather, mainly the elderly are admitted with falls, most often they come to us with fractures of the wrists and hips. Internal medicine "accidents" include electric shock, usually when testing string lights, and eating-related illnesses: bilious attack, upset stomach, pancreatitis. Let’s not forget about psychiatric cases either, suicide attempts are also more common because of loneliness or isolation.

-Which age group appears most often during the holiday season at the Emergency Department?

-Mostly the elderly, but "woodcarvers" also come often from all age groups.

-Have there been exceptionally difficult years, holidays in this respect, when the emergency attendance has greatly increased?

-I would not say that, that rate is pretty much the same every year.

-What do you expect this year, during perhaps the hardest Christmas of our lives?

-I expect COVID patients, as well as several lonely, neglected, elderly people who are a burden to their families. Unfortunately, this is a very sad but typical phenomenon. We typically have slightly lower traffic now, and maybe this is expected during the holidays as well. However, there is a much greater psychological burden on health care providers than usual because everyone works overtime, and we have to undertake more during the holidays as well. Our joint celebrations are also cancelled, which meant a lot every year to strengthen the team spirit.