Warning from local physician on top summer dangers

With summer around the corner, emergency rooms are already seeing seasonal injuries that many people might not expect. Dr. Mark Blubaugh, D.O., Medical Director and Physician at Tulsa ER & Hospital at Tulsa Hills, says common summer activities like grilling, swimming, and celebrating holidays can quickly turn dangerous if people aren’t cautious. We spoke with Dr. Blubaugh about the unexpected ways people end up in the ER this time of year and what you can do to avoid it.

Q: What kinds of food risks come with summer cookouts?

A: “Yeah, I love a great summer cookout, just like everybody else, but some of the things you need to make sure of are that the meat is cooked properly and the food hasn't set out too long in the heat. If not, you know, those can lead to foodborne illnesses from salmonella, staph, E. coli. Now, most of the time, those are self-limited, but more serious infections can occur and lead to hospitalization and long-term medical issues.”

Q: How quickly can food become unsafe?

A: “Just a few hours, usually.”

Q: Is it true that wire grill brushes can be dangerous?

A: “Yeah, so it's actually a rare incidence, but, you know, some of the pieces of that wire bristle will break off and then sit on the grill, and then it becomes on the meat when you put the meat on the grill. Subsequently, you eat that. And those actual wire pieces can become lodged in your throat, even be swallowed, can lead to a sore throat, even more worrisome symptoms, like intestinal perforation, have been reported in the past as well. The problem is that people don't associate their symptoms with the cookout that they had, because their symptoms don't appear until two or three days later.”

Q: What does the ER typically see on the Fourth of July?

A: “You know, any outdoor injuries. Typically, Fourth of July, we do see firework injuries. The typical hand injuries are from having fireworks explode in your hand. Also, we see a lot of eye injuries just from the pieces of shrapnel from the fireworks or, you know, how the kids like to play with Roman candles and have Roman candle fights. So those can actually be very dangerous and lead to a lot of eye injuries.”

Q: What about homemade fireworks?

A: “I mean, I wouldn't advise that. We have enough trouble with just the pre-made fireworks, it seems. So I would definitely leave any fireworks making to the professionals.”

Q: What do people need to know about diving into lakes and pools?

A: “Yeah, always, you know, diving into a body of water where you can't see the bottom or you may not know that body of water is always a risk. I mean, you know, you always hear about people breaking their necks, leading to long-term paralysis, just because they don't know what they're diving into.”

Q: Is there a risk from getting freshwater up your nose?

A: “Yeah, so a serious complication from kind of warm, still kind of brackish-type water is an infection called Naegleria fowleri, or what the public calls the brain-eating amoeba, from just getting fresh water up your nose. Now, it's rare, but devastating when it happens. It causes severe headaches, fevers. It can even lead to coma and death. It's rapidly progressive and has a very high mortality rate. So it's devastating when it does happen.”