skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

As Snow Falls, a Rising Number of North Dakota ER Visits

play audio
Play

Tuesday, December 3, 2013   

BISMARCK, N.D. – As parts of North Dakota continue to get blanketed by a thick layer of snow, a reminder that the wintery conditions don't just bring dangers on the highways, but also right at home.

Dr. Jeffrey Sather, an emergency room physician at Trinity Health in Bismarck, says heart issues are common when snow falls and people who don't normally get a lot of physical activity head outside to clear their sidewalks and driveways.

"We see every year an increase in cardiac issues in the local areas, like we have here where we get snow,” he says. “It's very common to have sudden cardiac arrest outside of the hospital and the activity at the time is the persons shoveling their driveway."

Heart disease is the leading killer in North Dakota, accounting for nearly a quarter of all deaths in the state each year.

In addition to the physical exertion, Sather says another reason for the increase in hospital visits for heart issues when it snows is because the symptoms can be masked while a person is shoveling.

"Common things that we think of happening – chest pain, maybe a little bit of sweating, a little bit of nausea – those things they can attribute to the fact they're bundled warm and they're doing exercise,” he explains. “So they ignore those symptoms and they actually may even ignore them more than they would otherwise because of the activity they're doing."

Sather says if you recognize that you're suffering from the symptoms, you should call 911 right away.

And he also has some suggestions to prevent heart issues when shoveling for those not used to the exercise.

"Certainly just taking it easy,” he stresses, "doing small amounts at a time, taking breaks in between and resting. Hiring the neighbor kid to go do it is an option for some people, and probably if you're in poor health or you're elderly that's money well spent, is to get a neighbor kid to do it."

The American Heart Association has more tips online at heart.org for shoveling safely.







get more stories like this via email

more stories
Iowa families can apply for up to $7,600 a year for private school costs. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An ethics committee in the Republican-led Iowa House has dismissed a complaint filed by a group of community activists against a state lawmaker for hi…


play sound

Each spring, hundreds of thousands of California high school seniors have to figure out if they can afford to go to college in the fall - and two new …

Social Issues

play sound

South Dakota is creating an Office of Indigent Legal Services after House Bill 1057 passed the Legislature with nearly unanimous support this month…


Data show Oak Ridge residents pay $2.67 million in taxes toward nuclear weapons programs. (fizkes/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A Knoxville-based environmental group is voicing concerns over what it sees as an increasing financial strain imposed on taxpayers by nuclear weapons …

Social Issues

play sound

This year's high school graduates will be eligible for 14,000 new scholarships offered through Opportunity Next Colorado, a $21 million investment …

The new law will apply only to future sales of Indiana farmland. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A bipartisan law set to take effect this summer prohibits foreign adversaries from buying Hoosier farmland. The signature of Gov. Eric Holcomb was …

Social Issues

play sound

Today, people across Arizona are voting in the Presidential Preference Election, a chance for registered Democrats and Republicans to choose their …

Environment

play sound

Traffic deaths are trending higher in Minnesota this year after a decline the previous year. Groups pushing for safer roads are convinced a small …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021