This week residents in the metro area will see several days of bone-chilling single-digit and below temperatures.
The Burnett Burn Center at The University of Kansas Health System is prepared to treat patients for frostbite, according to a spokesman. The medical staff expects the frostbite injuries to be mostly on the hands and feet.
In a video, Dr. Dhaval Bhavsar, with the Burnett Burn Center, explains why extreme cold is just as bad as extreme heat for the skin, and why frostbite patients are typically treated at a burn center.
He said even a 10 to 15-minute exposure to cold temperatures is enough to cause serious injuries, mostly to hands and feet.
He describes the symptoms of frostbite and how to know when to seek help, and more important, what not to do if you think you have it.
He explains why rapid re-warming can be just as dangerous and he offers advice on how to avoid frostbite. Those tips include:
• Don’t be outside when it’s below 20 degrees if you can avoid it.
• Dress in as many layers as possible.
• Wear protective clothing such as gloves, hats, socks and shoes or boots meant for the cold.
• Avoid getting hands and feet wet.
In extreme cases of frostbite, where the blood flow is not re-established, the hospital will inject chemicals into the patients’ bloodstream to reopen circulation.
Symptoms of frostbite are pain, numbness and discoloration of the skin. He advised patients not to wait for discoloration to seek treatment.
Rewarming with hot water can injure tissues, he said. The tissue can become more injured. Instead, gradual rewarming, not with hot water, is advised.