REBEL Core Cast 48.0 Frostbite

Written by Anand Swaminathan REBEL Cast, REBEL Core Medical Category: Environmental 0 Comments

Take Home Points

Frostbite is a severe, localized cold-induced injury due to freezing and thawing of tissue.
We usually see these injuries affecting the ears, nose, cheeks, chin, fingers, and toes. Patients will complain of cold, numb or stiff sensations and discoloration of the skin.
Critical ED treatment starts with rewarming in a warm, NOT HOT, water bath, analgesia and wound care.
More extensive treatments include blister debridement, tPA, prostacyclin analogues and fasciotomy. Patients with severe frostbite will likely require multidisciplinary care with surgery and critical care so consider early consults.
And last, be sure to check the patients core temp and treat hypothermia complications, such as diuresis

REBEL Core Cast 48.0 – Frostbite

emDOCS.net: Brrr! ED Presentation, Evaluation, and Management of Cold Related Injuries
EP Monthly: Frostbite: How to Classify and Treat It
EM in 5: Frostbite

Cauchy E et al. Retrospective study of 70 cases of severe frostbite lesions: a proposed new classification scheme. Wilderness Environ Med. 2001 Winter. PMID: 11769921.
Geng Q et al. Temperature limit values for touching cold surfaces with the fingertip. Ann Occup Hyg. 2006. PMID: 16777911.
Grieve AW et al. A clinical review of the management of frostbite. J R Army Med Corps. 2011. PMID: 21465915.
Handford C et al. Frostbite. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2017 May. PMID: 28411928.

Post Peer Reviewed By: Salim R. Rezaie, MD (Twitter: @srrezaie)

Shownotes Created By: Miguel Reyes, MD (Twitter: @miguel_reyesMD)

Cite this article as: Anand Swaminathan, "REBEL Core Cast 48.0 Frostbite", REBEL EM blog, January 27, 2021. Available at: https://rebelem.com/rebel-core-cast-48-0-frostbite/.