Category: trauma
New report shows rise in gunshot wounds in children and motorcycle crashes
By UHS News Team
June 4, 2018
Categories: Children's Health / Emergency care / News / trauma
University Health System released its fifth Community Trauma Report last week, identifying serious injury trends in Bexar County and South Texas based on the thousands of adults and children treated in University Hospital’s level I trauma center and level I pediatric trauma center each year. University Hospital treated 1,932 children and 5,361 adults with serious injuries in 2017. Those numbers have risen steadily over several years, in large part because it serves one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Among all patients, both children and adults, falls were the leading injury cause, followed by car crashes, burns, people …Read More >
Tags: crashes, gun violence, injuries, military readiness, trauma
Common ground on preventing gun violence
By UHS News Team
April 20, 2018
Categories: Emergency care / News / trauma
After each high-profile tragedy involving gun violence, the debate begins anew over gun rights and restrictions. And with that debate, Americans show themselves to be as divided as ever. Surgeons — those charged with treating the countless thousands each year who are injured by gunfire — are just as divided as the rest of us, it turns out. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma has surveyed its members on the subject since 2014. “More than half of the survey respondents hold the view that firearms are beneficial and important for personal liberty and self-protection. About a third believe …Read More >
Tags: gun violence, guns, surgeons, trauma
A watchful eye on sports injuries
By UHS News Team
March 9, 2018
Categories: Children's Health / Emergency care / News / trauma
Spring means baseball. And with baseball — and many other sports — it also means parents need to keep a watchful eye open for injuries in their young athletes. Dr. Caitlyn Mooney, a pediatrician with University Medicine Associates, urges parents to take sports injuries seriously. Kids can have special issues when it comes to injuries. They also need plenty of time to heal. With children specializing in a specific sport at an early age, they run the risk of injuries from overuse. In baseball, that might mean a pitcher not resting an arm. Running and jumping can lead to more than …Read More >
Tags: athletes, children, sports, sports injuries
Burn hazards are everywhere. Here’s how to keep your kids out of the emergency room
By UHS News Team
Feb. 9, 2018
Categories: Children's Health / Emergency care / News / trauma
University Health System’s pediatric burn program treats more than 300 kids a year from throughout South Texas with painful burns. And during National Burn Awareness Week, our injury prevention team is offering a few tips in the hope of lowering those numbers. The biggest burn hazard for kids in our community? Year after year, it’s hot, sticky microwave noodles and soup. “Across the age spectrum, we see the majority of burns and scalds from hot soups and noodle bowls. It is important that if your kids enjoy eating noodle bowls, you are letting them cool before serving,” said Mandy Fultz, coordinator …Read More >
Tags: burns, kitchen safety, prevention
A sweet ride home for a little hero
By UHS News Team
Jan. 12, 2018
Categories: Children's Health / Emergency care / News / Surgery / trauma
When it was time for Ryland Ward to go home from University Hospital, where he had been getting treatment — and encouragement from well-wishers around the world — since being rushed there Nov. 5 from the mass shootings in Sutherland Springs, a lot of people came together to make sure that ride was a memorable one. In a cherry-red firetruck driven by the firefighter who found him among the victims on that terrible day, Ryland smiled and waved. A multi-department police escort led them through the city and back to his hometown, where family and neighbors lined the street to welcome him. …Read More >
Tags: Sutherland Springs, trauma
Ho ho ho — oh, no!
By UHS News Team
Dec. 8, 2017
Categories: Emergency care / News / trauma
It seemed like a pretty good idea at the time, climbing your 12-foot extension ladder to hang the lights along the eaves of the house. Until you landed after free-falling all the way back down. “The holidays are especially tough times for falls from ladders,” said Dr. Bruce Adams, chair of emergency medicine at University Hospital and UT Health San Antonio. “Us men, we want to get up there hang the lights, get up on the roof, put Santa and the reindeer on the roof — and we fall.” Dr. Adams, speaking to KENS5 reporter Jeremy Baker, said ladders are …Read More >
Tags: burns, Christmas, falls, holiday, injuries, safety
Learning to walk again
By UHS News Team
Nov. 17, 2017
Categories: News / rehabilitation / Technology / trauma
For those who’ve found it hard to walk after an injury or a stroke, technology can help them relearn how to walk. The Ekso exoskeleton is a kind of wearable robot that allows patients to stand and walk. Sensors in the device control its movements as the patient shifts weight. “It’s kind of a training tool to help the patient figure out how to weight shift so that they can get back to the normal pattern of walking,” said Gabrielle Canales, a physical therapist at University Health System’s Reeves Rehabilitation Center, where the device is used. Ms. Canales has been …Read More >
Tags: injury, rehabilitation, stroke, technology
The best fright is fun fright. How to be safe on Halloween
By UHS News Team
Oct. 27, 2017
Categories: Children's Health / Emergency care / News / trauma
Halloween is supposed to be spooky fun. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the busiest nights of the year for emergency departments — including University Hospital’s. It’s not hard to understand why. Lots and lots of happy, energetic kids are circulating through neighborhoods after dark, their excitement overcoming any sense of caution when darting across streets to demand candy at the next available house with decorations and a bright porch light. “Halloween can be the deadliest night of the year for our children,” said Jennifer Northway, director of University Health System’s Injury Prevention Program. “Make sure they are safe.” The chances of …Read More >
Tags: Halloween, injuries, safety
Beyond the battlefield — PTSD can strike anyone
By UHS News Team
Sept. 29, 2017
Categories: News / trauma
Post-traumatic stress disorder isn’t just a wartime phenomenon. The leading cause, experts say, is motor vehicle accidents — which can happen to anyone. Symptoms, which usually begin within three months of a traumatic event but can surface years later in some cases, can interfere with the normal activities of life. Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares, avoiding reminders or feelings of the traumatic event, difficulty sleeping, angry outbursts, negative thoughts and loss of interest enjoyable activities. Dr. Christopher Wallace, a psychiatrist with University Medicine Associates — University Health System’s nonprofit physician practice group — said the faster someone can get help, …Read More >
Tags: behavioral health, mental health, PTSD
Football season? Watch your head
By UHS News Team
Sept. 15, 2017
Categories: Children's Health / Emergency care / News / trauma
Football season is upon us. While that usually means the promise of cooler temperatures and the pleasure of cheering from bleacher seats, it’s also worth keeping in mind the risk of head injuries. It’s a major problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the number of sports-related concussions in the United States at some 1.6 million to 3.8 million each year. Another study puts the odds of an athlete in a contact sport suffering a concussion as high as 19 percent per season. “Our brain is our most valuable resource,” said Dr. Lillian Liao, assistant professor of surgery at …Read More >
Tags: concussion, football, injuries, sports
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