High urgency
-Moderately severe
It is damage in the deep layers of the skin and tissues caused by extreme and/or prolonged cold. It occurs more frequently in the extremities, like the nose and ears. Humidity, immersion in water, snow and wind aggravate the effect of cold and the resulting lesions. Symptoms: pallor, lack of sensation, blood blister, grey or black skin, pain and stiffness in the joints. The body must be heated first (central heat) and then the frozen area by submerging it in progressively hotter water. It may have consequences like permanent damage and death in the area if it progresses.
- Biem J, Koehncke N, Classen D, et al; Out of the cold: management of hypothermia and frostbite. CMAJ. 2003 Feb 4;168(3):305-11.
- Sachs C, Lehnhardt M, Daigeler A, Goertz O. The Triaging and Treatment of Cold-Induced Injuries. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. 2015;112(44):741-747. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2015.0741.
- Heil K, Thomas R, Robertson G, Porter A, Milner R, Wood A. Br Med Bull. 2016 Mar; 117(1):79-93.
- Ken Zafren, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, FAWM. C Crawford Mechem, MD, FACEP. Frostbite. UPToDate. Apr 20, 2015.
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