Holiday Hazards: Real Risks From the O.R.

Medical emergencies always tend to spike at holiday time. Between food allergies, choking hazards and household accidents, the emergency department and operating rooms stay very busy in December and well into the New Year. It’s like clockwork.

Unfortunately many of these emergencies involve children. The doctors of Pediatric Surgical Associates have helped Charlotte families for more than 50 years and are on-call 24/7, including holidays. Based on their experience, here are some tips from the doctors of PSA on seasonal hazards to help parents and children avoid holiday emergencies.

1. Inhaling thumbtacks. When hanging garland or putting up stockings, you might put a thumbtack in your mouth if you don’t have a free hand. When children imitate or offer to help, they can forget and sneeze or “breathe in” lodging the tack in their windpipes.

2. Small, round party food. Popcorn and peanuts are a favorite snack for holiday parties. If little ones are around, keep a sharp eye out for what your children are eating. Anything that is small and round can be a choking hazard for children under 4.

3. Toys with magnets. Magnetic letters and numbers are great learning gifts to give. However, if children mouth their toys, they can dislodge the magnets and swallow them. Once ingested, magnets still attract to one another. If they end up in the wrong spot they can connect and pinch whatever is in the middle causing tissue damage.

4. Toys with batteries. Any toy that contains a small disc “watch-style” battery can be a hazard, if the battery is ingested. If these batteries leak, they can cause chemical burns internally that can only be repaired surgically.

5. Running with scissors. Keep the gift wrap under wraps when small children are near. After using scissors, put them away promptly so little ones don’t run, or do worse, with sharp objects. (Ribbons can also be a strangulation hazard.)

Remember: not everyone’s home is childproof! Be on the lookout for sharp edges, uncovered electrical sockets, unlocked cabinets and medicine chests, and decorations that look like candy.

And be aware of where you place candles. Make sure they are out of reach of little hands, as well as no where a pet could knock them over and cause a fire. And don’t forget to blow them out before you leave the house or go to bed!

Originally founded in 1965, Pediatric Surgical Associates was the first board-certified pediatric surgery practice in North Carolina. Since then, this highly trained team of board-certified pediatric surgeons has performed general, thoracic (chest) and laparoscopic/minimally invasive surgery on children of all ages (from birth through early adulthood).