Texas Health Kaufman

TexasHealth.org 4 ED Visits: What's Your Reason? Emergency departments (EDs) across the United States log more than 100 million visits each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Here are four common medical problems that send people to the ED — and what you can do to avoid them. 1. SPRAINS AND FRACTURES Physical injuries occur most often during high-impact activities. If your kids play sports, make sure they always wear the proper protective gear. Kneepads, elbow pads and a helmet are essential when biking, skateboarding, roller blading or riding scooters. "Well-fitting tennis shoes are also a must when playing outside," says Denise Claussen, R.N., B.S.N., M.S.N., chief nursing officer at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Kaufman. "We frequently see children who were injured while riding a bicycle barefoot or in flip-flops, which can lead to accidents. It's also important to teach kids how to play safely at the playground and not push other children." 2. BACK PAIN Eight out of 10 people will experience back pain at some point in their lives. For some, it can become too painful to self-treat. "We see a great deal of back pain cases that are exacerbations of old injuries from car accidents or improper lifting," says Janie Sanders, M.D., ED medical director for Texas Health Kaufman. "Most back pain is not truly an emergency and would be more appropriately cared for in an outpatient setting. Patients can prevent ED visits due to back pain by having good relationships with their primary care physicians." To avoid back pain altogether, remember the "one-in-three" rule. Your back is able to bend, tilt and twist, but it wasn't meant to do more than one of these movements at the same time — or do any of them while lifting a heavy object. 3. HEADACHES If you've ever experienced a severe migraine, you can understand why headaches are one of the most common complaints among ED patients. However, not all headaches warrant an emergency visit. "You should go to the ED if you have a headache that causes a visual disturbance, lasts longer than 12 hours or feels unlike any headache you've ever had," Claussen says. "You should also look for other symptoms of stroke, such as confusion, muscle weakness, slurred speech or facial droop." 4. CHEST PAIN If you're in doubt whether a lifethreatening heart attack is the cause of pain or tightness in your chest, err on the side of caution and call 911 to have an ambulance take you to the ED. "Only a small percentage of patients we see with chest pain are actually having a heart attack, but it's better to be safe than sorry," Dr. Sanders says. "For chest pain patients whose medical history shows a high risk for heart disease, we typically admit them or recommend further studies — such as a stress test or echocardiogram — within 72 hours." According to Dr. Sanders, the most important steps you can take to lower your heart attack risk are to cut back on saturated fats and sugar, exercise regularly, and stop smoking. To learn more about emergency care at Texas Health Kaufman, visit TexasHealth.org/Kaufman-Emergency.

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