Your Child has Severe Frostbite Your child’s skin is damaged from being exposed to very cold temperatures for too long. Your child’s skin has frozen. There may also be damage to the tissues under the skin. Call 911 or your local ambulance service. Severe frostbite is a medical emergency. Severe frostbite may be second, third or fourth degree, depending on the depth of the tissue involved. How bad the frostbite damage is depends on: ●
what the outside temperature was
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how long your child was out in the cold
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the wind-chill factor at the time
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dampness in the air or on the ground
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how much and what type clothing your child had on
If the blood vessels beneath the skin are affected, gangrene may occur. Gangrene happens when tissue dies due to lack of blood supply. Once the tissue dies, it cannot be saved. Doctors may have to remove the dead tissue.
How to know it is severe frostbite Your child’s skin: ●
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at first, may have redness, tingling, burning and numbness may then become white, swollen, hard and waxy looking then becomes numb all over the area may form blisters and ulcers
In frostbite injuries of second-degree or higher, blisters appear. Thirddegree frostbite causes deep, blood-filled blisters and a hard black scab to form. Fourth-degree frostbite goes below the skin into the muscles, tendons, nerves and bones. Blood poisoning and infection may also occur. ©2006-13 P&H Assoc., Inc This handout is for information only and is not meant to replace your doctors advice or treatment.
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Your Child has Severe Frostbite
What you can do The doctor has treated your child for frostbite and will talk with you about how to care for your child. During treatment, your child’s skin was warmed up. It may be blotchy, itchy, swollen and red. And the blisters will be painful. There may be an intense throbbing pain that comes two or three days later and can last days or weeks. Here are some tips to help comfort your child and to help your child as he or she heals: ●
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Treat the blisters or ulcers as advised by the doctor. Give your child pain medicine as prescribed.
Call your child’s doctor if your child: ●
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has any change in color or sensation to the frostbitten area has blisters or ulcers that show signs of infection, such as: more swelling, redness and pain ❍
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fever (temperature over 99.5ºF or 37.5º C)
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blisters ooze pus or the drainage from them smells bad
Also call if you have any questions or concerns about your child. Doctor's phone number: (_____) ______-_______
©2006-13 P&H Assoc., Inc This handout is for information only and is not meant to replace your doctors advice or treatment.
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