Top Five Reasons for Thanksgiving ER Visits
A Recipe for a Safe & Healthy Holiday
Thanksgiving is one of the most popular Holidays in America, it’s a time to reflect on the events of the past year and be thankful for friends and family.
At Prestige ER we would once again like to thank you for allowing us to serve and be a part of part of this wonderful community. And out staff would like to wish you and your family a happy and safe Thanksgiving Day.
Unfortunately, the Holiday Season is one of the busiest times for Emergency Rooms across the country, the number of ER visits spikes during Thanksgiving due to several factors including an excess of alcohol, unusually high food intake, and kitchen related accidents.
These are the top five reasons why people end up in our Emergency Room instead of enjoying a peaceful Thanksgiving with their loved ones.
Knife Related Injuries
There’s a lot of food preparations during Thanksgiving, and most of it requires cutting, dicing, and chopping ingredients not to mention carving that delicious turkey. Cuts and lacerations are common reasons for ER visits throughout the year, but because of the amount of knife work involved in Thanksgiving dinner preparations the likelihood of hand or finger injuries increases.
Here’s how you can help reduce the risk of being cut while cooking:
- Keep your knives sharp
- Slice away from your hand and keep your fingers clear of the blade.
- Don’t ever use the palm of your hand as a cutting board.
- When mincing, keep the tip of your knife on the cutting board
- Curl your fingers under and hold the food with your fingertips when chopping
- Secure your cutting board.
- Never slice things freehand over the sink.
Grease Burns
Fried turkey is a staple in many Texan homes, and there is no denying how delicious it can be, but we can’t overlook the dangers of deep-frying a large bird. Each year fire departments attend to more than 1000 fires related to deep fryers.
Use caution when using your deep fryer especially one large enough to cook a turkey, remember to:
- Move the fryer away from Your house
- Protect yourself, wear long sleeves and long pants, avoid loose clothing, and use heavy-duty oven mitts
- Don’t overfill the fryer
- Properly thaw your turkey, if your turkey is still frozen, the hot oil will react and cause a fire. Additionally, it’s recommended that you pat dry the turkey before immersing it in the hot oil.
Food Poisoning
The CDC recently reported a salmonella outbreak related to raw turkey products, and several producers have issued a recall on some of their products.
When cooking meat there is always a risk of bacterial infection, poultry is especially vulnerable to salmonella, because of this proper handling and cooking of turkey products during this Thanksgiving Holiday is crucial to avoiding a trip to our ER.
Don’t rinse your turkey. Washing the turkey can cause splatter and spread bacteria to other surfaces in your kitchen.
Always clean kitchen surfaces with an antibacterial disinfectant product after handling the turkey
The only way to kill bacteria on raw meat is to cook it, the CDC recommends that all turkeys be wholly thawed and baked at a minimum of 325°F, and cook until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Holiday Heart Syndrome
The term was coined in 1978, and it relates to a rapid and irregular heartbeat. Holiday Heart Syndrome is believed to be triggered by too much alcohol, compounded with the stress of the holidays, our tendency to over-eat during the holidays, lack of sleep and dehydration which cause the heart work harder than it should.
If you experience a rapid or irregular heartbeat, have trouble breading or have chest pains rush to our emergency room for evaluation.
Over Eating and Drinking
Thanksgiving is a time to eat, drink and be merry, but, overindulging on our favorite foods can result in a trip to the ER.
Although indigestion is not a reason to visit the ER, symptoms of heartburn can be mistaken for those of more severe conditions.
Drinking too much alcohol can have serious long-term consequences especially if you will be driving after the festivities.
At Prestige ER we want you to have a fun and safe Thanksgiving weekend, eat with moderation, relax, and be thankful for your loved ones. And don’t worry, we will be available to treat any emergency that may arise.
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