Cold Injuries

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Cold Injuries
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• Common injury to extremities.
• The more fatigued one gets, the less heat body
  produces
• Ways heat is lost
• Conduction touch through another object
• Convection transfer through air (ex. wind)
• Evaporation 20 of body heat is lost through
  evaporation, need dry clothes in cold weather
• Respiration lose heat when breathing
• Radiation 65 of body heat is lost through head
  and neck

• Body reactions from loss of heat
• Shiver muscles try to generate heat
• Body tries to raise metabolic heat
• Body reduces blood flow to extremities (ex
  fingers
• and toes)

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• Types of cold injuries
• Hypothermia Progressive decrease in body
  temperature. Body systems start to shut down.
  Temperature drops below 95 degrees F. Victim
  becomes depressed, stumbles, and falls. All major
  functions become slower, person seems sleepy.
  Need to stabilize temperature. Medical Emergency.
  Can become comatose or have cardiac arrest.

• Never try to reheat a person with hypothermia get
  them to the ER
• Frost Nip Ears, nose, toes, fingers, skin turns
  white and may peel or blister in 24-72 hours.
  Dont rub skin.
• Superficial Frost Bite Skin is white, waxy
  feeling and brittle. Painful for a few weeks.

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• Deep Frost Bite Serious injury indicating that
  tissues are frozen, can affect deep muscle and
  possibly bones. Reheat in warm bath (100 to 110
  F) Never rub area, do not open blisters, During
  re-warming the tissue will become blotchy red,
  swollen and extremely painful, MEDICAL EMERGENCY,
  tissue may become gangrenous

• Reheating Methods for Cold Stress
• Passive Reheating remove from environmental
  exposures (ex. Wind, sow, cold) replace wet
  clothes with dry. Cover body with insulated
  materials (ex. Blankets and layer clothing)
• Active Reheating Gradually reheat body part with
  immersion and heated water (Do Not exceed 110
  degrees F). Warm inside out by drinking warm
  drinks.

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END OF COLD INJURIES