It’s time for emergency rooms to prepare for typical summertime injuries involving children. Often that means accidents involving kids on bikes, skateboards or scooters. One Syracuse hospital says the worst of those injuries can be avoided.
When 10-year-old Michael Caltabiano of Syracuse heads out on his bike, he always wears a helmet. And when he sees other kids without one, he has a message for them:
"I tell them that wearing a helmet, keeps them out of the hospital. It’s a great, great idea."
Trauma experts at Upstate University Hospital say Michael is on to something. Twenty percent of the injuries that come into Upstate's pediatric emergency room every summer could have been prevented, if the child had been wearing a properly fitted helmet.
Dr. Tamer Ahmed, a pediatric trauma surgeon, says it’s the brain injuries that come after a fall, that are the hardest to treat.
“Bike injuries, when there are head injuries involved, are much sicker, much more likely to have other significant injuries, and cause for long term hospital stays,” said Ahmed. “Internal bleeding, intracranial hemorrhages, skull fractures. It can be simple, something that requires outpatient care, but it can also can require significant inpatient care, and sometimes surgical intervention.”
Ahmed admits that it can be hard to get kids to stop what they’re doing and strap on a helmet.
“With my own kids, what I’ve done, they know clearly if they’re caught not wearing a helmet while riding a bike or skateboard, they don’t ride it for the rest of the day. So giving parents the information about why it’s important and have them emphasize that to their children,” said Ahmed.
Doctors emphasize a parent’s role is key to prevention of many outdoor injuries.
“A lot of this is emphasizing the need for supervision and watching your kids. As I like to emphasize, drowning isn’t loud and noisy like you see in the movies. It’s something that happen in a minute with your back turned.”
Upstate offers helmets at cost for families who can’t afford them.
