Memorial Day weekend is just ahead. As the unofficial start to summer, more and more people will be headed outdoors to enjoy the sunshine and fun activities with family and friends.
However, there are some things to keep in mind to help keep your warm weather fun safe over the holiday weekend.
Dr. Bob Sobehart works in the E.R. department at Allegheny Health Netowrk's Neighborhood Hospital in Brentwood. He told the KDKA Radio Morning Show that they see an increase in visits to the emergency room.
"Probably the number one issue that we face is typically heat and sun related injuries, whether that be dehydration, even sunburn and heat stroke," he said.
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While the simple fix might seem to be just to drink water, Dr. Sobehart says that doesn't always happen as people are enjoying parties and often times, drinking alcohol.
He also notes that if you become too dehydrated, you can have too much plain water without replacing electrolytes, which are also important.
In addition, Dr. Sobehart says fireworks and campfires are also a concern in the summer months, especially when participants have been drinking alcohol.
Sobehart says emergency room physicians see lots of tick bites throughout the year, but even more so during the summer months, "when folks are out and about and not necessarily protecting themselves with long sleeves and long pants."
Sobehart advises that if you've been bitten by a tick, don't panic, but get seen.
"We can certainly remove them in the emergency department and we do see a fair amount of lyme disease in the area, so often times we will prophylax the patient with antibiotics at the time of the tick bite rather than let them develop lyme disease first."
And, as more and more people take to the road, Dr. Sobehart says car accidents are a big concern.
"We certainly encourage folks to wear their seatbelts when they're in their vehicles, helmets on motorcycles, certainly and ATVs as well is a is thing over the summer. We see lots of ATV accidents, especially at the bigger trauma centers, but even at the smaller hospitals."
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