Unlike other animals that live outside the tropics, humans are susceptible to peripheral cold injuries. The highest homeostatic priority is to maintain the body’s core temperature. This is accomplished through peripheral vasoconstriction and shunting, which prevent adequate heat distribution to the extremities. As a result, failure to achieve adequate protection from the environment results in ...

Increased participation in outdoor activities and an epidemic of homelessness have caused the incidence of cold injuries in the civilian population of Turkey to rise dramatically during the past 20 years. Knowledge of treatment is crucial for emergency physicians in rural and urban areas. Recent developments have significantly advanced the understanding of the pathophysiology of hypothermic and...

HYPOTHESIS Thrombolytic therapy will decrease the incidence of amputation when administered within 24 hours of exposure. DESIGN Single institution retrospective review of clinical outcomes and resource use. SETTING Burn unit of a tertiary academic referral center. PATIENTS From 2001 to 2006, patients with severe frostbite admitted within 48 hours of injury underwent digital angiography an...

CONTEXT Hypothermia and frostbite injuries occur in cold weather activities and sporting events. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION A PubMed search was used to identify original research and review articles related to cold, frostbite, and hypothermia. Inclusion was based on their relevance to prevention and treatment of cold-related injuries in sports and outdoor activities. Dates of review articles were l...

BACKGROUND frostbite is defined as the damage sustained by tissues while subject to temperatures below their freezing point. The severity of tissue damage is variable, but frequently can result in amputation. Early surgical debridement is contraindicated in almost all patients because it can take weeks for definitive demarcation of non-viable tissues to occur. Bone scan is indicted in the evalu...