http://www.fpnotebook.com/

Frostbite

Locations
1. Hands
2. Feet
3. Ears
4. Nose
5. Penis
Signs
1. Superficial frostbite
  1. White color
  2. Frozen exterior
  3. Blisters developing into eschar
2. Deep frostbite
  1. Woody-feel to skin
  2. No Blisters
  3. Mummification or amputation
Management
1. Rapid rewarming in warm bath
2. Do not rub skin
3. Narcotic pain medication
4. Elevate involved area
5. Oxygen or hyperbaric oxygen
6. Tetanus prophylaxis
7. Penicillin G
8. Daily Hydrotherapy
9. Do not rewarm if chance of refreezing
Sequelae
1. Excessive sweating
2. Cool extremities
3. Numbness
4. Abnormal color
5. Nail disorder
6. Skin Pigment Changes
7. More susceptible to second injury
Prevention
1. Never ignore numbness in a cold extremity

Navigation Tree

Please see the Terms and Conditions. Please also see the privacy statement regarding advertising on this page. Although access to this page is not restricted, the information found here is intended for use by medical providers. Patients should address specific medical concerns with their physicians.

This page was written by Scott Moses, MD. This page was last revised before 5/10/08, prior to consistent tracking of revision date. This page was last published on 6/1/2008. Please send comments and questions to the editor. Contact information may be found on the page About the Family Practice Notebook. These pages are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.