Four years ago, Yale's Arjun Venkatesh was interviewed on a local news station about ways to prevent winter injury and illness. Among the tips he offered was to avoid the ice.
"Just a thin layer of ice is all it takes to fall and break a bone," says Venkatesh, the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Emergency Medicine and chair of emergency medicine at Yale School of Medicine.
Two days later, Venkatesh was taking the garbage out after a shift at Yale New Haven Hospital, where he is chief of emergency medicine. It was late at night, and his driveway was frozen over.
"I didn't follow my own advice," said Venkatesh. "I didn't do anything to remove the ice, and sure enough, I slipped and fell right on my butt and slid the entire way down the driveway."
Slips, trips, and falls are just a few of the reasons people end up in emergency departments (ED) every winter. Wintry weather brings a rise in unexpected injuries, as well as respiratory viruses like influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
