Development of Second-degree Frostbite in Two Service Members Wearing Issued Cold Weather Footgear Traversing Sea Ice
ABSTRACT Frostbite, or the freezing of the tissues by exposure to conditions below the freezing point of water, is an unsettling and potentially dangerous condition that one can develop while living and working in cold environments below 0°C without proper protections. Civilians and military personn...
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2020
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa384 http://academic.oup.com/milmed/article-pdf/186/11-12/e1250/41067490/usaa384.pdf |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1093/milmed/usaa384 2023-05-15T18:17:29+02:00 Development of Second-degree Frostbite in Two Service Members Wearing Issued Cold Weather Footgear Traversing Sea Ice Powell, Thomas 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa384 http://academic.oup.com/milmed/article-pdf/186/11-12/e1250/41067490/usaa384.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ CC-BY Military Medicine volume 186, issue 11-12, page e1250-e1253 ISSN 0026-4075 1930-613X Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health General Medicine journal-article 2020 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa384 2022-04-15T06:21:39Z ABSTRACT Frostbite, or the freezing of the tissues by exposure to conditions below the freezing point of water, is an unsettling and potentially dangerous condition that one can develop while living and working in cold environments below 0°C without proper protections. Civilians and military personnel operating in prolonged field conditions in temperatures below freezing rely on advanced fabrics and multiple layers to maintain body heat around the extremities to prevent frostbite. Here, we detail the situation and findings of frostbite in 2 American service members who were exposed to temperatures of approximately −19.5°C for 5 hours while hiking on frozen sea ice. Notably, these members were wearing their issued cold weather equipment at the time of their injury. The personnel presented with the classic signs and symptoms of second-degree frostbite with blistering and tingling but went on to have no lasting serious sequelae. We find these cases important as it documents the inadequacy of the footgear utilized, despite being operated in weather conditions within the range of the manufacturer’s safety recommendations. Sea ice and other very cold, conducting surfaces may require other gear considerations when operating in this unique terrain type. Article in Journal/Newspaper Sea ice Oxford University Press (via Crossref) Military Medicine |
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Open Polar |
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Oxford University Press (via Crossref) |
op_collection_id |
croxfordunivpr |
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English |
topic |
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health General Medicine |
spellingShingle |
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health General Medicine Powell, Thomas Development of Second-degree Frostbite in Two Service Members Wearing Issued Cold Weather Footgear Traversing Sea Ice |
topic_facet |
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health General Medicine |
description |
ABSTRACT Frostbite, or the freezing of the tissues by exposure to conditions below the freezing point of water, is an unsettling and potentially dangerous condition that one can develop while living and working in cold environments below 0°C without proper protections. Civilians and military personnel operating in prolonged field conditions in temperatures below freezing rely on advanced fabrics and multiple layers to maintain body heat around the extremities to prevent frostbite. Here, we detail the situation and findings of frostbite in 2 American service members who were exposed to temperatures of approximately −19.5°C for 5 hours while hiking on frozen sea ice. Notably, these members were wearing their issued cold weather equipment at the time of their injury. The personnel presented with the classic signs and symptoms of second-degree frostbite with blistering and tingling but went on to have no lasting serious sequelae. We find these cases important as it documents the inadequacy of the footgear utilized, despite being operated in weather conditions within the range of the manufacturer’s safety recommendations. Sea ice and other very cold, conducting surfaces may require other gear considerations when operating in this unique terrain type. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Powell, Thomas |
author_facet |
Powell, Thomas |
author_sort |
Powell, Thomas |
title |
Development of Second-degree Frostbite in Two Service Members Wearing Issued Cold Weather Footgear Traversing Sea Ice |
title_short |
Development of Second-degree Frostbite in Two Service Members Wearing Issued Cold Weather Footgear Traversing Sea Ice |
title_full |
Development of Second-degree Frostbite in Two Service Members Wearing Issued Cold Weather Footgear Traversing Sea Ice |
title_fullStr |
Development of Second-degree Frostbite in Two Service Members Wearing Issued Cold Weather Footgear Traversing Sea Ice |
title_full_unstemmed |
Development of Second-degree Frostbite in Two Service Members Wearing Issued Cold Weather Footgear Traversing Sea Ice |
title_sort |
development of second-degree frostbite in two service members wearing issued cold weather footgear traversing sea ice |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa384 http://academic.oup.com/milmed/article-pdf/186/11-12/e1250/41067490/usaa384.pdf |
genre |
Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Sea ice |
op_source |
Military Medicine volume 186, issue 11-12, page e1250-e1253 ISSN 0026-4075 1930-613X |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa384 |
container_title |
Military Medicine |
_version_ |
1766191734683860992 |