Victorians are being warned to keep themselves out of hospital this "silly season" as doctors report a recent spike in traumatic injuries.
Melbourne's The Alfred Hospital saw nearly 400 people admitted to its emergency and trauma centre in December last year, with 157 admissions because of road trauma.
So far this December, 66 of the hospital's admissions have been down to road trauma - but, as is typical for injuries during the festive season, doctors fear the numbers will only get worse over the next three weeks.
November saw 135 people admitted to The Alfred because of road trauma, and 158 in October.
As for the hospital's admissions for falls, there have been 94 so far this December, compared with 149 in total through the month last year.
There were 209 admissions for falls in November this year, and 179 in October.
"So much of what we see at this time of the year is entirely preventable, which is really frustrating," Alfred Health trauma director Professor Mark Fitzgerald said.
"It's often people taking completely unnecessary risks on the road and unfortunately at this time of year drugs and alcohol play a major part in many admissions."
The Alfred warns 17 people have so far been admitted to hospital this December for assault-related injuries, and the figure may double to 34 for the month.
That's compared with a total of 27 in October.
Almost 90 per cent of the people admitted for assault-related injuries in October, November in December this year were males.
In December last year, 41 patients were admitted with a blood alcohol level of more than .05, Prof Fitzgerald said.
Severe damage to internal organs, broken bones and brain damage were among patients' injuries.
"This is a time of the year where people should be spending time with their loved ones, not lying in a hospital bed, staring at a vastly different future to the one they had planned," Prof Fitzgerald said.
People did things during the festive season that they didn't at any other time of the year, including diving off piers into shallow water, getting dehydrated at parties and raves, and driving under the influence, Alfred Health emergency director De Villiers Smit said.
Last year's December figures for falls included people who were cleaning out their gutters and putting up Christmas lights.
"Unfortunately, this part of the year is really the 'silly season'," Ass. Prof Smit said.
While The Alfred's staff were well prepared for their busiest time of year, Ass. Prof Smit urged the community to help both staff and themselves by staying out of hospital this Christmas.
