Category: trauma
Surviving snake season
By Don Finley
August 29, 2018
Categories: Emergency care / News / trauma
If you live in South Texas, it’s a sure bet you’ve got some slithery neighbors. We’re talking snakes — from the harmless garden variety to the venomous kind. And while there are a few venomous snakes in our region — be they rattlesnakes, copperheads, water moccasins or coral snakes — the best advice is to give them a wide berth if you see one. “If you see a snake, stay away. Don’t get close to take a better look at it to see if it’s venomous,” said Dr. Shawn Varney, an emergency medicine physician at University Hospital and medical director …Read More >
Tags: snakebites, snakes
Don’t get burned!
By Don Finley
July 6, 2018
Categories: Children's Health / Emergency care / News / trauma
It’s another sweltering South Texas summer. Step outside and the risk of burns are everywhere — in addition to the everyday burn hazards that lurk inside our homes. University Hospital’s level I pediatric trauma center and burn program works to get the word out about burn risks. But how much do you know about burns? Take this burn quiz, courtesy of University Health System’s Health Library, and test your burn IQ. You might pick up a few tips on how to keep yourself and your family from getting burned.
Tags: burn safety, burns, prevention
Spot the Tot
By Don Finley
July 3, 2018
Categories: Children's Health / News / trauma
So your old pickup or SUV has some miles on it, and it doesn’t have one of those backup cameras that come standard on new vehicles these days. Or maybe your vehicle does have a backup camera. It still has blind spots. You should know about Spot the Tot — an effort to prevent the all-too-common tragedy of drivers inadvertently striking young children with their cars. Often the child is their own. “We see far too many grieving family members who have backed over a child they didn’t see in their rearview mirror,” said Jennifer Northway, director of the adult and child …Read More >
Tags: car safety, kids, pedestrian
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
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