Josyann Abisaab

Dr. Josyann Abisaab – ER Physician

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Josyann Abisaab: Avoid Wasting Time and Money- Go to the Doctor, Not the ER

February 16, 2011 Comments off
Josyann Abisaab

Emergency Room

Research has shown that more than half of all emergency room visits in the US are for non-emergencies. The trend to use the emergency room as if it were a doctor’s office is wasteful in several ways. First of all, it wastes money. The cost of seeing a doctor in the emergency room can be three times more than seeing a doctor in his office. Time is also wasted while the person who is ill waits his turn to be seen by a physician. Contrary to what many people seem to believe, patients are not seen on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Not even close. An emergency room is designed to see the most critical patients first, and everyone that comes through the doors of the emergency room goes through ‘triage’, French for sorting. The less urgent the case, the longer patient will wait. According to statistics the average wait in an emergency room is about 2 hours.

Emergency room physicians like Josyann Abisaab urge people to only come to the emergency room if a real emergency arises which requires urgent care. Otherwise schedule an appointment with a primary care physician who will be glad to see you at a scheduled time and for a reasonable price.

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Asthma in Children:Josyann Abisaab

February 2, 2011 Comments off

Often children with asthma sometimes find themselves in the emergency room where an emergency room doctor, such as Dr. Josyann Abisaab will treat them for the difficult breathing asthma sufferers experience.

Although the underlying cause of asthma is unknown it often runs in families. What happens is that certain substances which the person with asthma is sensitive to, such as dust, smoke, or animal fur irritate the lining of the bronchial tubes causing the production of phlegm, which blocks the air passageway. The increased level of mucus (phlegm) makes breathing difficult, causing the main symptom of asthma.

View this video to learn a bit about how asthma is often treated and which inhaler is right for children.

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Treating Croup in the Emergency Room:Dr. Josyann Abisaab

January 26, 2011 Comments off
Dr. Josyann Abisaab

Baby with Croup Coughing

Many parents of young children have had to deal with the illness known as croup at some time. Also known as laryngotracheobronchitis, croup is a respiratory illness which is often caused by a viral infection in the upper airway. The infection causes swelling inside the throat causing an impediment to normal breathing. The interference to the child’s breathing is what causes the barking cough and hoarseness. Symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe, and often send parents to the emergency room with their sick child. In the emergency room the doctor will first rule out other more serious causes of the symptoms, such as epiglottitis or some foreign object blocking the airway, and then treat if necessary. Treatment usually involves one dose of oral steroids and sometimes epinephrine in more severe incidents. Rarely is hospitalization needed.

Croup is a relatively common illness which affects about 15% of all children between 6 months old and 5-6 years old at some time, but it is extremely rare in teens and adults.

As an emergency room physician, Dr. Josyann Abisaab treats children with croup when they arrive in the emergency room seeking care for their distressing and sometimes frightening illness.

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Emergency Rooms are For Emergencies: Dr.Josyann Abisaab

January 12, 2011 Comments off

Statistics show that most people that come to the emergency room are not in need of emergency care. Here are some things that  you need to know so that you do not become part of this statistic.

•    First of all, use good judgment. Become knowledgeable about the signs of serious illnesses which need immediate attention such as heart attacks and strokes, and trust your instincts.

•    Call your family doctor and describe to him/her your symptoms. If your doctor feels it’s warranted, then he/she will recommend a trip to the emergency room. If the problem is not urgent enough for a trip to the emergency room, but nevertheless urgent, your doctor will make room in his schedule to see you. Also, a good primary care physician should ideally be available 24/7 or else he/she takes turns covering after-hours on-call responsibilities with other doctors. In other words there are alternatives to getting off-hour or last-minute care instead of going  to the emergency room.

•    Keep a booklet in your home which is easily accessible which describes the types of symptoms which need emergency room treatment.

Dr. Josyann Abisaab is an emergency room physician practicing in New York City at New York Presbyterian Hospital.

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Josyann Abisaab: Diagnosing Strep Throat

December 30, 2010 Comments off

Its winter, a time of year when people are more susceptible to illness, and do seem to get sick more frequently. One of the more common illnesses which is seen by doctors, usually during  regular office hours, but sometimes by emergency room doctors like Josyann Abisaab, is strep throat.

Strep throat is generally not an emergency and almost never requires a visit to the emergency room, but the development of a sudden and severe sore throat, especially in a young child, might drive a frantic parent to the emergency room anyway.

In most cases, even without treatment, strep throat will resolve on its own and go away within a few days. However, one of the dangers from step throat, aside from the pain, fever and lost time from work or school, is if it goes undiagnosed and/or untreated with antibiotics. Without antibiotics the infection can spread to other parts of the body, including the sinuses or the middle ear.

There is also a possibility that when the body’s immune system responds to the untreated strep it will attack healthy tissue which can cause rheumatic fever and some other illnesses. It has been shown that antibiotics given even nine days after the start of the infection will prevent rheumatic fever from developing.

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When is High Blood Pressure an Emergency?

December 22, 2010 Comments off

There is no exact number which determines that someone with high blood pressure should go to the emergency room or dial 911. However, if there are other symptoms accompanying the high blood pressure reading, including severe headache with no known cause, back-pain, severe chest pain or impaired or blurry vision, or any other type of symptom connected to brain function, it is probably a good idea to go the emergency room or call 911.

Normal blood pressure readings are around 120/80. If you experience blood pressure where the systolic (first) number is at or above 180, or the diastolic (second) number is above 110, you should probably have it checked by a physician. If your instincts have a bad feeling about it, or its accompanied by any other symptoms, it is probably a good idea to go to the emergency room where a qualified emergency room doctor like Josyann Abisaab can check you and make a proper diagnosis.

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ER Doctors Train RAF Medics

December 14, 2010 Comments off

Emergency room doctors, like Josyann Abisaab, MD, deal with an extraordinary range of medical issues on a regular basis. This makes them uniquely qualified to train army medics, who can be the difference between life and death for soldiers on the field, but who may not have the experience necessary to treat the issues with which they are confronted on the battlefield.

To that end, the British Royal Air Force has started its Trauma Inoculation Programme (TIP), in which RAF medics carry out a two-week placement at a hospital, receiving the ER training they need to be able to treat troops on the front lines. The results have been so successful that that the RAF hopes to put all of its trainee medics through similar training.

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ER Blood Tests: Dr. Josyann Abisaab

December 5, 2010 Comments off

An informed ER patient is one who has a basic understanding of the workings of the emergency room, and so can better appreciate the complex and wide range of medical care that is provided. ER physicians, like Dr. Josyann Abisaab, explain that a visit to the ER frequently involves one or more blood tests, which helps the ER team to accurately diagnose the source of the patient’s symptoms.

When a blood test is performed, the patient’s blood is placed into different colored tubes, each with a specific additive that relates to the test in question. A CBC (complete blood count) test uses a purple-top tube. The CBC measures the numbers of each of the three types of bloods cells: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, in order to help diagnose specific illnesses and health conditions. A serum (the liquid/non-cellular part of the blood) test uses a tube with a red top, while a blue-top tube is used to test blood clotting.

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When to Visit the ER

November 23, 2010 Comments off

People often make the mistake of going to the ER when their condition is not an emergency. Not only is this a waste of time and money, it also causes stress and unnecessary disorder in the emergency room. Doctors such as Dr. Josyann Abisaab recommend that you think objectively about the condition you encounter, before making that decision. Here is a general list of symptoms which may need to be dealt with in an ER:

  • Loss of consciousness
  • Poisoning
  • Signs of a stroke such as numbness or sudden weakness in one side of the body such as in the face, an arm or a leg; sudden loss of vision, especially in one eye; loss of speech, trouble talking or understanding; sudden memory loss; unexplained dizziness or sudden falls
  • Serious traumatic injury (to the head, for example)
  • Instant, severe, inexplicable pain
  • Bleeding which does not cease after ten minutes of direct pressure
  • Signs of a heart attack such as a feeling of pressure, squeezing, fullness or tightness in the chest for over two minutes; burning or aching under the breast bone; chest pain accompanied by lightheadedness
  • Sudden severe/ persistent vomiting
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Avoiding the ER: Wrist Fractures

November 15, 2010 Comments off

ER doctors such as Dr. Josyann Abisaab often encounter unpleasant, remarkably painful and slow-healing injuries. One of the most common is a wrist or elbow fracture. People occasionally lose their balance or are knocked over while participating in a physical activity like skiing or mountain biking. Instinctually, they put out a hand or two to break their fall. This can easily result in a major gash or fracture which could take weeks or even months to heal properly. Occasionally physical therapy is needed, too. Sometimes the hand goes behind the body to break a backwards fall, which can result in an elbow injury as well.

There are a few things that can be done in advance to prevent such injuries:

1.       Train your instincts. Practice falling on a safer surface, and train yourself to react by tucking in your chin and rolling with the initial impact. If you can, try to fall on the back of your shoulder as this is a strong area of your body.

2.       Practice regaining your balance in a quick manner. Use a bike, or think of other ways to flex your balance muscles.

3.       It is important to wear a helmet and wrist guards. They may seem foolish, but they really can make a significant difference in a fall.

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Halloween Safety Tips: Dr. Josyann Abisaab

October 26, 2010 Comments off

Halloween is approaching, and already people can feel the excitement as they choose their costumes, make plans with trick-or-treat companions, and select pumpkins for their jack-o lanterns. Everyone is anticipating this fun, candy-filled night. Many ER doctors such as Dr. Josyann Abisaab and others have seen Halloween accidents first-hand, and, while Halloween night is certainly an exciting experience, parents are encouraged to be aware of the possible accidents that can occur.

The careful behavior should begin at home; children should not be allowed to carve pumpkins on their own. Pumpkin carvers, adults as well, should make sure to use a carving knife instead of a regular kitchen knife, so that their movements can be smoother and more controlled, even while cutting through the pumpkin’s thick skin. Also, make sure the handle of the knife is dry before it is used, to avoid slipping. If a cut on a finger or hand does occur, raise the area above the heart and apply direct pressure to the wound with a clean cloth. If the bleeding persists, a visit to the ER might be necessary.

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4th Annual Conference of The Lebanese Society of Emergency Medicine

October 14, 2010 Comments off

Next month, a conference will take place from November 11-13 in Beirut, Lebanon of The Lebanese Society of Emergency Medicine.  This 4th annual conference, where Dr. Josyann Abisaab is on the Scientific and Organizational Committees, will include lectures and workshops about everything from Neuropsych and Trauma to Oncology, Cardiovascular Emergency, and even a Wilderness Medicine Track.

The conference is being co-sponsored by The Global Emergency Medicine Program at Weill Cornell Medical College/Division of Emergency Medicine, where Dr. Josyann Abisaab is a faculty member.  In addition to Dr. Abisaab, ten other faculty members from New York Presbyterian Hospital will participate in the conference in Lebanon.

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Dealing with Asthma and Allergies at Night

October 6, 2010 Comments off

Most people feel more sick during the night than they do during the day.  Unfortunately, this often means that your child’s fever spikes, or the cough worsens, during the hours when your doctor is usually not available.  This means that more parents end up being seen in the E.R. by doctors like Dr. Josyann Abisaab.  Some of the time, these E.R. visits, or frantic middle-of-the-night calls, could be avoided.

If your child has an allergy attack at night, an antihistamine should help to calm the symptoms.  Keep one on hand, and ask your doctor for a recommendation about which one to have available.  If your child has asthma, make sure to have a bronchodilator, a peak flow meter to watch your child’s breathing and preventative medicines like steroid medications around.

Take preventative steps as well to keep your child’s room allergy and asthma free.  Close the child’s windows, ban animals from the room, put all bedding into an allergy-proof cover, install hardwood flooring and use HEPA filters in your vacuum.

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Traumatic Brain Injuries from Basketball Increasing: Dr. Josyann Abisaab

September 24, 2010 Comments off

A new study published recently in Pediatrics highlights that more children and teenagers are suffering traumatic brain injuries while playing basketball.  Taking a ten year range from 1997 to 2007, researchers looked at visits to emergency rooms like the one where Dr. Josyann Abisaab works.  They found that, for people under the age of 20 treated for basketball related injuries, the number of traumatic brain injuries had shot up by 70%.

Overall, the traumatic brain injury proportions doubled for boys and tripled for girls during this time, said senior study author Dr. Laura B. McKenzie.

Certainly, doctors like Josyann Abisaab, researchers and centers like the Brain Trauma Foundation encourage coaches, athletes and parents to understand what causes traumatic brain injuries and to recognize the signs of a possible concussion.

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Study Linking Sleep in Kids & Obesity: Dr. Josyann Abisaab

September 14, 2010 Comments off

In a fascinating new study by Dr. Janice Bell and others from the University of Washington, they found that babies and children up until age 4 who didn’t sleep enough at night were more likely to be obese five years later than were their better-rested peers.   Those children who slept for less than 10 hours a night were 80% more likely to be obese five years later.

Bell believes that this is actually the first large, nationally representative study that links lack of sleep with childhood obesity.  Their study, in addition, did not find any differences by ethnicity or social status, as have other similar studies in the past.

Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu said, in response to the study results, that it “gives parents one more reason to prioritize healthy sleeping habits in their young children’s lives.”

Certainly, with obesity on the rise in America and E.R. doctors like Dr. Josyann Abisaab seeing many complications from obesity, this study may be a helpful first step.

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