Take Precautions To Prevent Dangers of Treadmills

Greg Webb — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:02:03 GMT

The recent death of Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter, found with a treadmill cord around her neck while her mother cleaned in another room, has called attention to the hazard that home exercise equipment poses to children. Doctors report that the emergency room sees approximately 25,000 children per year who suffer from a broad range of home exercise equipment-related injuries.

An Australian study last summer found that treadmill friction injuries account for about 1% of pediatric burns, but that number is on the rise. These treadmill injuries include a growing number of severe burns on the hands of children who touch around or under the treadmill belt while it’s running, and the burns can be severe enough to require multiple skin grafts or cause permanent disability.

While some incidents occur when unsupervised children play with unlocked equipment, many take place while a parent is using the machine. Australia is putting a new standard into effect this month that requires all new treadmills to carry a prominent warning sticker alerting treadmill users to keep children away from the machine when it’s in use. Owners should keep home exercise equipment locked and unplugged to prevent children from starting the machines and should position equipment so that parents have a clear view of approaching children while they exercise.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Tattoos, Nicotine Patches And Other Medical Devices May Pose Problem During M.R.I.s

Greg Webb — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:44:35 GMT

Federal health officials warn that patients who wear nicotine or other drug patches during M.R.I. scans may get burned due to the machine’s huge magnet that can heat tiny metal elements found in the patches. Not all patches contain these aluminum elements. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received at least five reports of patients wearing patches who experienced a skin burn similar to a sunburn during an M.R.I. screening; federal officials are usually only alerted to a fraction of the injuries associated with a particular drug or device so the number may be much more.

About sixty different types of drug patches are sold in the United States, and about twenty contain the small metal fragments. Some of the patches do not warn patients about these metal fragments, and since few people review the box after donning the patch, the FDA will soon require that all manufacturers put warnings, such as "Remove Before M.R.I." on the patch itself. Patients should consult their physician regarding whether or not to replace or reuse the patches after removing them for scans.

This patch alert is the latest in an assortment of safety warnings involving increasingly powerful M.R.I. devices, due to the unpredictable effects of strong magnets used in the devices that are continuing to be discovered. Radiologists are now warning patients that they can experience discomfort or injury if they have tattoos, implanted medical devices or shrapnel. Tattoos also contain metallic elements in some cases, which can lead to warming in the skin that can grow uncomfortable. Some M.R.I. screening rooms place metal detectors in front of the rooms to prevent the problem of patients forgetting to remove metal objects before entering.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Charlottesville Personal Injury Lawyer - burns

Take Precautions To Prevent Dangers of Treadmills

Tattoos, Nicotine Patches And Other Medical Devices May Pose Problem During M.R.I.s