Your Child and EKG’s
As the new school year approaches and we all start to get back into our rituals of school and homework,there is one more part of the ritual that will return and that is sports. The sports season and the school year go hand in hand for many student athletes and if you have been keeping up with the national news lately, a growing number of children have had emergencies while participating in sports activities due to heart arrhythmias. While heart arrhythmias in children are more rare than adults, they still exist and the activity level and stress on the heart from sports can make an already known congenital condition worse or bring an unknown condition to light. Many sports teams or clubs require a routine physical before participating and that is great but not many require an Electrocardiogram or “ EKG “ to be apart of that physical. Reading stories from across the country and the world for that matter about children who have been injured or even died from causes related to arrhythmias has proven that the need for every child to have an EKG done annually is necessary and even more so in the case of children involved in sports.
Having an EKG done is quick and painless and can bring peace of mind to parents and children and may also give some answers as to why some children complain of or feel different things and could not explain why. I can personally tell you we run many EKG’s on people that call 911 for various reasons and they all feel a little better with a clean EKG.
The causes of these heart arrhythmias in children vary.. Some children have a congenital condition that they are born with and was detected early and is under control by a doctor. Some normally healthy children suddenly develop them for unknown reasons and find out during an EKG during a physical or during a trip to the emergency room from an unknown problem. There are reports linking the rising use of energy drinks by children and teens to the development of these arrhythmias and the sudden emergencies or even deaths that have occurred while using them. The American Hear Association has come out strongly against the use of energy drinks due to the caffeine involved and the changes to your body’s natural heart rhythm and blood pressure they cause. Mix that with the stress of sports and you have a potentially deadly combination. Look around a high school or any setting with sports and you will see no shortage of energy drinks.
The bottom line is that like most things, prevention is key. Having an EKG done by your child’s doctor is easy and should be done regardless of playing sports or not. You never know what you may find and you may save your child’s life in the process. And while you’re at it, get one done for you too.
Thank you and have a great and safe school year!
Photo credit: Kelly Sue DeConnick; CC license
Summer, Families and BBQ Safety
It’s official, the kids are out of school and summer is here. All the things that happen during the summer will soon be upon us and grilling on the barbeque is certainly on that list. The list of safety precautions for the 4th of July and fireworks is a mile long and will be on every news station for the coming weeks. What will not get too much air time is the list of safety tips for Barbeque grills and the dangers of grilling. Being in the Firefighting profession, I have seen what happens when people take the Barbeque for granted and do not give the grill the amount of respect and preparation it deserves. From terrible burns to adults and children to house fires, grills definitely deserves your attention.
Grilling facts from NFPA
Be sure to use safe grilling practices as the peak months for grilling fires approach – June and July. Gas grills constitute a higher risk, having been involved in an annual average of 7,200 home fires in 2007-2011, while charcoal or other solid-fueled grills were involved in an annual average of 1,400 home fires.
Facts & figures
- In 2007-2011, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 8,800 home and outside fires. These 8,800 fires caused an annual average of 10 civilian deaths, 140 civilian injuries and $96 million in direct property damage.
- More than one-quarter (27%) of the home structure fires involving grills started on a courtyard, terrace or patio, 29% started on an exterior balcony or open porch, and 6% started in the kitchen.
- In almost half (43%) of the home outdoor fires in which grills were involved, half (51%) of the outside gas grills, and 29% of gas grill structure fires, the fire started when a flammable or combustible gas or liquid caught fire.
So while the grill is going and the steaks are on this summer, please remember that you need to be aware of the grill at all times. Now, when the grill and kids are brought together, there is an added level of awareness needed. Kids are naturally curious and that can be very dangerous when a live burning barbeque is involved so when the kids are around it is a good idea to introduce them to the barbeque and establish some safety rules such as a safety zone around the grill and not walking behind the grill and having a zero touching policy.
While at the Trauma center this past year with an adult patient, I met the parents of a 5 year old girl who was in surgery because their daughter had grabbed the grates on the grill and severely burned her hands. The father told me took his eyes off the grill for 1 minute to get a drink and that’s when his daughter went to the grill. It happens that fast.
So please be safe with the grill this summer. Have fun, eat well but be safe.
Warning Your Child Won’t Keep Them Safe: Explain the Danger
“Look both ways before you cross the street!”
“Don’t run by the pool!”
Chances are you’ve used those phrases countless times with your children, but have you also explained why they should look both ways or not run? Have you ever wondered why your child continues to run by the pool, not look both ways or abide by any of the other almost constant parental warnings that you issue?
A new study in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology explains that we can’t just issue a warning, we need to explain the danger, explain why the action is necessary.
“Saying to your child, ‘Don’t do that‘ or ‘Stop‘ or ‘Be careful‘ doesn’t really work,” Plumert says. “I mean, it’s okay to say that, but the next step is to say why not. You shouldn’t assume that your child knows why not, even if it seems obvious to you.”
Mothers used one tactic especially effectively: They pointed out the dangerous elements in the situation, and explained how those current dangers could cause the child to get hurt. The researchers were initially surprised that mothers focused more on the present features rather than pointing out potential outcomes, but think it’s because parents use the present – the danger – to help the child understand the potential outcome – getting injured.”
I was fascinated by the study and asked a colleague who is an expert in pediatric medicine and injury prevention, and a mother, for more information. She shared her lightbulb moment about communicating danger effectively. She heard a lecture on the subject by a brilliant doctor, who is also a researcher and editor of Injury Prevention who asked an 8- year old patient in a clinic, “what do you do before you cross the street?” He got the usual, “look both ways”. Then asked the kid, “what are you looking for?” The kid looked at him quizzically and said, “dinosaurs?”
We assume that children know the outcome, the consequences, simply by pointing out the dangers, but they don’t. Children have not learned about danger because they haven’t been taught. We have to explain why the rules exist, and explain in ways that children can understand.
Children want to learn. They are insatiable sponges when it comes to learning. Ask anyone who has spent time with a 2-year old during their infamous ‘why?’ phase. Contrary to what you may believe by the end of an endless ‘why?’ day, it’s not to annoy you, it’s to make sense of the world, to figure out the ‘if….then’ and how it applies to them. The vast majority of parenting is teaching – both through words and actions – so you need to teach the consequences, not just say ‘don’t do it’. The good news is that if you are consistently sharing the outcome, you may stop getting the questions and may even start seeing your child follow those many rules because they finally understand the reason behind the rule.
“Look both ways before you cross the street!” needs to be followed by “make sure no cars or trucks are coming because they could hit you and you would get hurt.”
All the elements are necessary…
- Tell your child what to do (look both ways),
- What they are looking for (cars),
- Why they should look (they could hit you), and
- What would happen if they don’t look (you would get hurt).
“Don’t run by the pool!” should be followed by “if you accidentally trip you and fall in the water, or hit your head and fall in the water, you could get hurt more badly than if you just fall on the driveway”.
Make it age appropriate. When my oldest was two and we had a pool I had a rule, “never go down to the (fenced) pool without mom”. I had many “why” questions, and wavering between not wanting to terrify them (or myself) about the fear of drowning, I did the too typical mom thing and started with ‘you might get hurt’ or ‘you might fall in’, but the “why” question kept coming until I finally laid it on the line in terms a 2-year old would understand. “If you go near the pool without me you might fall in and die, and then you would never see me again.” “Die” is impossible for a 2-year old to understand, even “injury” is a pretty nebulous term, because boo-boos usually just require a bandaid and a kiss, but “you will never see mommy again” clearly answered the question because the “why?” questions stopped and neither of my kids ever went near the pool without me. They weren’t afraid of the pool, where we spent many happy hours together, but they did learn to respect the water and follow the rules.
When it comes to water safety, here are some of the basic warnings, which need to be age-appropriate, and the consequences:
- Don’t run by the pool because if you trip and fall in the water accidentally you might (fill in the age-appropriate blank from ‘hurt your head really badly’ to ‘not be able to get out of the pool’ to ‘drown’ …for older kids, you want to teach respect around water, not fear)
- Always swim near a lifeguard because they are watching out for you and can help you if you can’t get your head above water.
- Don’t go by water unless you have a grownup with you because if you accidentally fall in and we can’t hear you, you could die.
- Always wear a life jacket on a boat because if the boat bumps and you accidentally fall out the life jacket will keep your head above water until someone can help you, otherwise you might sink.
Issuing a warning is always a fine line between teaching and striking such terror that it becomes counter-productive, but your fear of the consequences, of wanting to soften the blow, really of facing your greatest fear of losing your child, may leave your child more exposed to injury or death.
Issue the warnings, and explain the consequences.
Daffodils, Parmesan and Kids…Who Knew?
Spring is here. Flowers are in bloom. In Connecticut one local town celebrates the arrival of spring with an annual daffodil festival. In fact – thousands of flowers. I wonder how many people know that the bulbs of the plant are among the most poisonous of all plants in the US.
And who doesn’t like a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on- well in my house, on just about everything. And I like the bright inviting colors of the packaging- inviting me to indulge. Unfortunately Comet cleanser has equally colorful packaging. And certainly you never accidentally put your comet in the fridge and the Parmesan under the sink but look at products the way a child would. They are drawn to bright colors and to things that Mom and Dad handle and use.
Antifreeze used to smell really nice and became a common poison to our animals and kids. Manufacturers are no longer allowed to add perfumes to make the product smell better. Believe it or not, antifreeze performance does not improve with the addition of perfume and without it kids and dogs are safer.
So as you go about enjoying spring, getting into spring cleaning- check to make sure that your cabinets, both kitchen and bath have child proof locks. In the garage make sure that kids can’t get in or that products are well out of reach. Also make sure that shelving is very secure and won’t fall over onto curious, climbing kids. And finally check your fridge for Comet- just to be sure.
Accidental poisoning CAN be prevented- take a few minutes to check things out- don’t guess, be sure.
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Editors Note: This post originally ran in May of 2010 and was written by our former PedSafe EMS Expert Jim Love. Our thanks to him for some wonderful reminders
Safety Checklist for Kids on Their Way to School
We’ve been following the news about Sierra LaMar, a 15-year-old who disappeared near her home in Morgan Hill, CA sometime between a text message sent to a friend and nine minutes later when she didn’t show up to her school bus on March 16. Reports Thursday say that police no longer think she may have run away and believe that she was most likely kidnapped, potentially by someone she knows.
We don’t know what happened to Sierra but it’s hard not to fear the worst and to wish that she had known whatever it was she needed to know to stay safe: not to let someone she wasn’t expecting into her house, to be cautious even if it is someone you know, to keep out of reach of someone on the sidewalk, not to take a ride even from an acquaintance without checking first – and as soon as she knew she had trouble; to yell, run, make a scene, and to fight to protect herself.
Even after hundreds of people have searched for her – finding only her purse, backpack and cellphone – it’s still difficult to know yet what has happened. Our hearts go out to her family and friends who are all waiting to hear from her.
Today we are posting a one-page Kidpower Safety For Kids On Their Way To School Checklist download the pdf) that we’ve compiled for parents about how to prepare their kids to be ready to make safe choices and get help while on their way to and from school, or anywhere else that they are allowed to go on their own.
TALK together to make a Safety Plan so your kids will know:
They are safest staying in groups and, if they are younger, with an adult you select.- To always get permission from you or another adult in charge before they change their plan about going anywhere with anyone, whether it is a stranger or someone they know.
- To always get your permission about where they go, who will be with them, and what they will be doing.
- That a stranger is someone they do not know well, can look like anybody, and might know their name.
- That most people are good and most strangers are good, but they do not know what someone is like just by how that person looks or acts.
- To NOT get close to a stranger, talk to a stranger, take anything from a stranger, or go with a stranger – unless they have their adult’s permission.
- If they are old enough to talk to a stranger, to stay out of reach and not give personal information.
- To move away toward safety and get help if someone makes them feel uncomfortable or tries to approach them.
- How to get help in an emergency from people you’ve designated along their route.
- To tell a trusted adult every time someone makes them feel uncomfortable or scared.
WALK together to determine:
- The safest route to follow on the way to and from school on foot, by bus, or by bike that will avoid isolated places, difficult streets to cross, and other hazards.
- Where to go and who to ask for help if kids have a safety problem on route — preferably adults you have introduced them to — in a church, store, neighbor’s house, bus, etc.
- What to do if kids get lost, if they cannot stay on their route, or if someone bothers them.
- Each child’s safety readiness for going on her or his own without adult supervision.
PRACTICE together until you are SURE your kids are prepared to:
Use their awareness to notice and avoid safety problems from people, traffic, or other possible trouble.- Act aware, calm, and confident in every situation.
- Move quickly out of reach from a stranger or anyone who makes them feel uncomfortable.
- Follow their safety plan even if a friend tries to persuade them to do otherwise.
- Find a place with people to help them if they get lost or have to change their route.
- Yell “NO! I NEED HELP!” and run to a safe place to get help if they feel scared.
- Yell, pull away, hit and kick to escape from an attack.
- Be persistent in getting help, even if adults are busy or impatient.
- Find and use a telephone so they can call a trusted adult for help or 911 in an emergency
Beware of Falling Furniture
Be honest. Most of us do not consider the furniture in our homes or even the television to be dangerous to our children. The kids run and play and laugh and occasionally knock over a chair or bump into a desk or fall off the furniture but that seems to be the extent of our worry when it comes to furniture. Well according to a new study furniture related injuries are on the rise and if your kids are anything like mine, we have some work to do.
According to the study conducted by the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission, most furniture tip-over-
related injuries occurred among children younger than 7 years of age and resulted from televisions tipping over. More than one quarter of the injuries occurred when children pulled over or climbed on furniture. Children ages 10-17 years were more likely to suffer injuries from desks, cabinets or bookshelves tipping over. Head and neck injuries were most common among younger children, while children older than 9 years were more likely to suffer injuries to the lower body.
Despite warnings from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of injuries involving televisions and other furniture tipping over onto children has increased in this country since the early 1990s.
“There was a more than 40 percent increase in the number of injuries during the study period, and the injury rate also significantly increased during these years,” said study senior author Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “This trend demonstrates the inadequacy of current prevention strategies and underscores the need for increased prevention efforts.”
So what can we as parents do? Parents can minimize risks to children by placing televisions low to the ground and near the back of their stands and strapping televisions and furniture to the wall with safety straps or L-brackets. Purchasing furniture with wide legs or with solid bases, installing drawer stops on chests of drawers and placing heavy items close to the floor on shelves will also help prevent tip-overs. Additionally, parents can reduce a child’s desire to climb furniture by not placing attractive items, such as toys or the remote control, high on top of furniture or the television.
Caregivers and even those of us in the emergency medicine field should be aware that furniture tip-overs are an important source of childhood injury and that education geared towards simple prevention steps will decrease the number of injuries to children associated with furniture tip-overs.”
