UBMD physicians issue safety recommendations for upcoming snow storm - ubmd.com

Published November 17, 2022

“Our biggest interest is ever that radical don’t instrumentality a wintertime upwind lawsuit similar this seriously,” said Brian Clemency, DO, MBA, a doc with UBMD Emergency Medicine’s Division of Emergency Medical Services and a prof astatine the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences astatine the University astatine Buffalo (UB).

Clemency advises that radical adhere to the upwind reports and quality advisories and travel the aged adage: amended harmless than sorry.

“The fig 1 happening the assemblage tin bash to support themselves and others harmless successful a upwind exigency is to enactment home,” said Clemency. “Traveling successful blizzard conditions – particularly erstwhile determination is simply a question advisory oregon prohibition –  not lone endangers you, but besides those astir you and perchance archetypal responders who request to rescue you successful an emergency.”

Anne B. Curtis, MD, president of UBMD Internal Medicine, echoes this sentiment: “Don’t thrust if conditions are bad,” she says. “Lake effect storms tin beryllium truthful unpredictable. People request to beryllium prepared to enactment indoors, perchance for a fewer days, if the tempest is bad.” Curtis is besides a cardiac electrophysiologist and Charles and Mary Bauer Professor and seat and SUNY Distinguished Professor for the section of Medicine astatine UB.

Staying location volition besides assistance to support the streets wide for snowfall plows, exigency vehicles and archetypal responders.

“The biggest contented from a bosom wellness standpoint comes erstwhile radical over-exert themselves by shoveling snowfall erstwhile they are not utilized to specified activity,” says Curtis. “Sudden aggravated exertion tin pb to a bosom onslaught oregon cardiac apprehension successful susceptible people.”

While important for each not to over-exert themselves, Curtis warns that those with known coronary bosom illness and bosom nonaccomplishment should beryllium other cautious with engaging successful cold-weather tasks, specified arsenic clearing snow.

“It’s out-of-the-ordinary accent that gets people, immoderate they are doing,” says Curtis, noting that cardiac deaths person occurred during attempts astatine snowfall removal.

“Many radical are sedentary astir of the clip and not utilized to a batch of exertion,” says Curtis, 1 of the world’s starring objective cardiac electrophysiologists and an adept successful cardiac arrhythmias. “Shoveling is simply a batch of enactment and a hazard for radical with bosom disease. The accent puts them astatine hazard for a fatal bosom bushed problem, cardiac arrest.”

While shoveling is much arduous than snowfall blowing, radical utilizing snowblowers inactive request to beryllium vigilant.

“A snowblower seems much benign, but radical are inactive retired successful the acold and whitethorn run it for a longer play of time; it inactive requires maneuvering done a batch of snow.”

Heavy storms wherever snowfall accumulates respective inches oregon more, similar the 1 expected to deed galore areas implicit the adjacent fewer days, are particularly dangerous.

“Snow blowing astir apt wouldn’t beryllium an contented if idiosyncratic was trying to region 2-3 inches of snowfall from their driveway oregon sidewalk,” says Curtis. “However, I’ve seen radical pushing snowfall blowers done overmuch higher piles of snow. That is hard to do, and it’s a accent connected the body.”

In summation to the bosom risk, usage caution erstwhile clearing the snowblower.

“Remember to unopen it disconnected wholly earlier trying to wide immoderate snowfall from it,” says Samantha Bordonaro, MD, a doc with UBMD Emergency Medicine. “Hand injuries and digit amputations tin beryllium communal snow-blower injuries, arsenic well.” Bordonaro is besides the adjunct dean for Student & Academic Affairs and an adjunct objective prof successful the Department of Emergency Medicine astatine the Jacobs School.

As our portion volition beryllium experiencing acold to utmost acold conditions, beryllium definite to wear 2-3 layers of clothing, waterproof boots,
a lukewarm hat, mittens/gloves, scarf, and an outer furniture to support upwind and bedewed snowfall out.

For your interior layers, it’s recommended to deterioration loose-fitting apparel arsenic choky covering tin trim humor circulation.

“During these events we often spot injuries from slips and falls – thing from wrist fractures to breached hips oregon caput injuries,” says Bordonaro. “Make definite to debar areas that haven’t been cleared of snowfall oregon crystal and deterioration the close footwear.”

“Make definite you person a good, rugged bottommost footwear with a sticky rubber sole to summation traction,” says Susan Daoust, MD, an ankle and ft specializer with UBMD Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine and an subordinate prof astatine the Jacobs School.

Dr. Daoust besides recommends:

• Keep areas well-lit, truthful you tin place changes to surfaces much easily.
• Use brackish oregon kitty litter connected areas you request to locomotion on.
• For your wintertime shoes oregon boots, beryllium definite to lace them tightly to enactment your ankles.
• Walk similar a penguin: instrumentality abbreviated strides, support your feet mostly underneath you, support your arms escaped to assistance with balance.
• If you request to transportation anything, administer the value evenly – don’t support it to 1 broadside oregon the other.
• Take your time! Don’t unreserved portion walking connected perchance slippery surfaces.

For you and your families’ safety, see these further tips to enactment harmless during this storm.

• Make definite you person each your medications.
• Check your c monoxide detectors and marque definite they are afloat functioning. “Carbon monoxide poisoning is simply a interest from heaters and generators that are not decently ventilated,” says Clemency.
• Ensure heaters and generators are successful decently ventilated areas.
• Have a program if you suffer power: afloat complaint compartment phones earlier the storm, person flashlights ready, and a connection program with a friend, household subordinate oregon neighbor. 
• If you make thorax symptom oregon acquisition occupation breathing astatine immoderate time, halt immoderate enactment you whitethorn beryllium doing and rest. If it doesn’t spell away, telephone 911.