Frostbite is damage skin bodies under the influence low temperatures.

Frostbite usually occurs in winter period at air temperature environment less than -10ºС. But such skin damage is possible in autumn and spring with strong winds and high air humidity, even at temperatures above zero.

The article will discuss the signs of frostbite, the severity of this condition, as well as methods of treating frostbite.

Causes

Frostbite occurs due to many reasons:

• previous cold injury;
• immobile and uncomfortable body position for a long time;
• wet or tight shoes and clothing;
• hunger;
• physical fatigue;
• decrease in the body's defenses;
• chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system and blood vessels of the legs;
• sweaty feet;
• severe injuries with blood loss.

According to statistics, the majority of severe frostbite that led to amputation of limbs occurred when a person was heavily intoxicated.

The complex changes that occur under the influence of cold depend on the temperature and the duration of its decrease. When the air temperature is below -10ºС, frostbite occurs as a result of the action of cold directly on the skin tissue. But most frostbite occurs at air temperatures from -10ºС to -20ºС. In this case, spasm of small blood vessels occurs, which leads to a slowdown in blood flow and cessation of the action of tissue enzymes.

Frostbite of the fingers and toes is the most common.

Signs of frostbite

The initial sign of frostbite is the appearance of pale skin in the affected area, which is accompanied by increasing pain and tingling. At first, the intensity of the pain increases, but with further exposure to cold it gradually subsides. The affected area of ​​the body becomes numb and sensitivity is lost. If the limbs are affected, their functions are impaired. So, when fingers are frostbitten, a person cannot move them. The skin becomes dense and cold. Skin color also takes on signs of frostbite. It becomes bluish, yellow or white with a deathly waxy color.

Degrees of frostbite

The following degrees of frostbite are distinguished.

I degree of frostbite, the mildest. Occurs when exposed to cold for a short time. Signs of frostbite include changes in skin color. The affected area becomes pale, a tingling sensation appears, followed by numbness. After warming, it turns red, sometimes to a purple-red color, which is accompanied by swelling. There may be pain of varying intensity. 5-7 days after frostbite, there is often slight peeling of the affected skin. Recovery occurs 6-7 days after the lesion.

II degree of frostbite. Appears when exposed to cold for a longer period of time. Initial symptoms there is pallor and coldness of the affected area, loss of sensitivity. But most characteristic feature Frostbite of this degree is the formation of blisters with transparent contents in the first day after the injury. When fingers or other areas become frostbitten, pain, burning and itching appear immediately after warming up. Skin restoration occurs within 1-2 weeks. In this case, scars and granulations do not form.

III degree of frostbite. It is characterized by the formation of blisters filled with bloody contents. Their bottom has a blue-purple color and is insensitive to irritation. Painful sensations are of high intensity and are characterized by for a long period currents. All skin structures in the affected area die. When the fingers become frostbitten, the nails that come off either grow deformed or do not grow back at all. After 2-3 weeks of rejection of dead tissue, scarring occurs, which takes about a month.

IV degree of frostbite. Usually combined with frostbite of the 2nd and 3rd degrees. All layers of skin tissue undergo necrosis. Muscles, joints, and bones are often affected. A sign of frostbite is a sharply bluish color of the damaged area, often with a marble coloring. After warming, swelling immediately forms and quickly increases in size. There is no sensitivity in the affected area.

First aid for frostbite

First aid for frostbite depends on the degree of damage, the general cooling of the person, his age and existing diseases.

First aid for frostbite involves the following measures:

• deliver the victim to a warm room;
• remove gloves, shoes, socks;
• take measures to restore blood circulation in the affected areas;

At the same time as providing first aid, you need to call a doctor: treatment of severe frostbite should be carried out under the supervision of specialists.

If the victim has symptoms of frostbite of the first degree, it is necessary to warm up the damaged areas with massage movements and a woolen cloth until the skin turns red. After this, apply cotton gauze bandage.

When providing first aid for frostbite, the victim is given hot food and drink. To reduce pain in the treatment of frostbite, Analgin, Aspirin, No-shpu, Papaverine are used.

What should you not do when providing first aid?

You cannot massage, rub, or warm up during frostbite of II, III, and IV degrees. In this case, a warming bandage is applied to the damaged surface. To do this, apply a layer of gauze, a thick layer of cotton wool on top, then again gauze and rubberized fabric or oilcloth. The affected limbs, for example, with frostbite of the fingers, are fixed using improvised means, bandaging them over the bandage.

Do not rub the victim with snow, especially if the fingers and toes are frostbitten. The blood vessels of the extremities are very fragile and can be easily damaged by rubbing. This can lead to infection entering the resulting microcracks.

Treatment of frostbite

Before treatment for frostbite begins, the victim is warmed up.

After this, a mixture of solutions is introduced nicotinic acid, aminophylline, novocaine into the artery of the affected limb. To restore normal blood circulation and increase microcirculation, ganglion blockers, antispasmodics, trencal, and vitamins are used. In severe cases of damage, the patient is prescribed corticosteroids.

In addition, the victim is injected with solutions of glucose and rheopolyglucin, which are preheated to 38ºC.

If blisters form on the affected area, they are punctured. After that, compresses with solutions of chlorhexidine and furatsilin are applied to the frostbite areas. For suppuration of wounds, bandages with levosin, levomikol, and dioxykol are used.

Physiotherapy methods are used in the treatment of frostbite. Most often, the victim is prescribed laser irradiation, ultrasound, magnetic therapy, UHF, diathermy (exposure to alternating electric current).

Surgical treatment of severe frostbite involves removing areas of dead tissue. If frostbite of the fingers, hands or feet has led to necrotic tissue, they are amputated.

Attention!

This article is posted for educational purposes only and does not constitute scientific material or professional medical advice.

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Frostbite. First aid for frostbite, treatment and prevention

What is frostbite and how to treat it? The use of healing balm KEEPER in the treatment of frostbite.

Frostbite(or frostbite) is damage to an area of ​​skin or part of the body under the influence of very cold air (or water), resulting in damage to poorly protected or exposed areas of the skin and/or deeper tissues. This is the so-called indirect cold injury.

Frostbite should be distinguished from a cold burn (direct cold injury), when only a limited area of ​​the body is exposed to excessively low temperatures, while the body does not fall under the general influence of cold. A cold burn occurs when the skin comes into direct contact with an excessively cold substance, e.g. liquid nitrogen, or an excessively cold object (touching iron with your hands in the cold - cold burns).

Degrees, types and symptoms of frostbite

Based on the depth of tissue damage, there are four degrees of severity of frostbite.

First degree frostbite

First degree frostbite occurs with short-term exposure to cold and is characterized by blanching of the affected area of ​​the skin, which acquires a marble tint. When exposed to heat, the area either turns slightly red or purplish-red, depending on the degree of damage to the skin and its sensitivity.

Symptoms frostbite first degree symptoms begin with tingling and/or burning of the affected area of ​​the body, followed by numbness, followed by pain and itching. The degree of pain experienced by each individual may vary. In this case, tissue necrosis does not form; after a few days, slight peeling may be observed. Recovery usually occurs within 7 days, with virtually no complications.

Second degree frostbite

Second degree frostbite occurs as a result of longer exposure to cold and has similar symptoms to the first degree. It is possible to distinguish between degrees I and II of frostbite 12-24 hours after warming up: in the second degree, swelling and blisters with transparent contents begin to form, as with burns. The pain syndrome after the victim gets into heat in the second degree is higher than in the first, however, since each person has a different sensitivity threshold, this sign is subjective and does not allow accurate staging of the severity of the lesion. Recovery occurs after two weeks without scarring.

Third degree frostbite

Third degree frostbite develops after prolonged exposure to cold, is often accompanied by general hypothermia and is characterized by necrosis of all layers of the damaged skin area. Initially, the skin in the affected area completely loses sensitivity; after warming up, blisters with bloody contents and a purplish-blue bottom form. The swelling extends beyond the affected tissue. Strong painful sensations develop after a few days. With a favorable course of the process, dead tissue is rejected in the third week, after which scarring occurs for about a month. If the nail phalanges have been damaged, they do not recover after healing, but new deformed nails may grow.

Fourth degree frostbite

Fourth degree frostbite is the most severe and is characterized by necrosis of soft tissues, and in more severe cases, of joints and bones. Almost always accompanied by a general cooling of the body. As a rule, in addition to areas of tissue with fourth degree frostbite, areas of milder skin damage (II and III degrees) are found. The affected area of ​​the body is extremely cold to the touch and has a bluish, sometimes black color, in places with a marble tint; sensitivity is completely absent. At the very beginning of warming, extensive swelling develops, extending beyond the damaged area of ​​the body. Soreness and blisters form only in areas with second and third degree frostbite. Dead tissue areas are not restored, which leads to the loss of certain functions of the affected limb.

Immersion frostbite

Immersion frostbite– a separately considered type of chronic cold injury that develops with prolonged exposure cold water. In this case, the water temperature is slightly higher or equal to zero. No changes occur during immersion frostbite clinical picture after warming the damaged area. There are three stages of immersion frostbite:

• first degree: redness, numbness and soreness of the affected area, sometimes there may be a tingling or slight burning sensation;
• second degree: pain, redness and numbness of the damaged area, formation of serous-bloody blisters;
• third degree: tissue necrosis, almost always the addition of a secondary infection, including gangrene.

chills

chills develops as a result of prolonged, with periods of warming, exposure of the skin to damp cold air, usually exceeding zero. In most cases, it has a wave-like course with periods of remission and exacerbations. In the cold, damaged skin becomes pale or marbled, goes numb or tingles slightly. When exposed to heat, it turns red, burns, itches and hurts. Subsequently, dense bluish and/or blue-purple swellings form on it, and the pain becomes bursting or burning. Gradually, the skin becomes rough and becomes cracked.

Factors influencing the development of frostbite

Objective reason frostbite is the effect of low temperatures on unprotected areas of the body. However, not all people exposed to the same conditions are susceptible to frostbite to the same extent. People most prone to frostbite are:

• those suffering from chronic fatigue;
• after exhausting physical labor;
• being intoxicated.

The biggest misconception is that alcohol saves you from frostbite. When intoxicated, blood vessels dilate, which increases heat transfer from the body and creates the illusion of warmth. Subsequently, the vessels narrow sharply, and the body that has lost heat quickly becomes hypothermic:

• with a weakened body due to the presence chronic diseases, anemia, vitamin deficiency, etc.;
• having severe injuries and blood loss;
• suffering from diseases of cardio-vascular system, leading to violation peripheral circulation;
• with excessive sweating;
• wearing tight and tight clothing and shoes;
• constantly following grueling strict diets or being in a hungry state;
• forced to remain immobile for a long time in the cold.

First aid for frostbite

The complex of primary measures and subsequent treatment largely depends on the degree frostbite. More than in any other case with cold injuries, it is important to avoid mistakes when providing first aid to the victim. The result of further treatment will largely depend on this.

Under no circumstances should you:

• give the victim alcohol, especially if it is not possible to deliver him to a medical center in the near future or warm room;
• rub the damaged areas of the skin with snow;
• in case of frostbite of the second degree and above, rub these areas with fat, oils and alcohol;
• sharply warm the victim, especially the use of hot baths, heating pads and other sources of strong heat is unacceptable.

Rapid warming of the affected area with any of possible methods unacceptable, since in most cases frostbite is accompanied by general hypothermia. If the temperature is increased in peripheral areas, this will lead to stimulation of metabolic processes, whereas general state The body is not yet ready to increase blood circulation. As a result, all this can lead to necrosis. The most correct thing in this situation would be to eliminate the damaging factor, provide gradual internal warming and treatment of the affected area.

To properly help the victim, you must:

• move the person to a room with moderate air temperature, and then gradually warm the room;
• in case of frostbite of the 1st degree and mild general hypothermia, give the victim the opportunity to take a bath with a water temperature of about 24 degrees, gradually heating the water to normal temperature human body or up to 38-40 degrees;
• in case of frostbite of the first degree, very light, gentle rubbing of the affected area with dry mittens made of a non-rough material, the temperature of which does not exceed the temperature of the human body, is permissible;
• remove all frozen and wet shoes and clothes, replace them with warm underwear and socks, preferably made of natural fabric;
• in case of frostbite of the second degree or higher, a bandage made of heat-insulating material must be applied to the affected areas; if a limb is injured, fix it with any available means over the bandage;
• if areas on the face have suffered frostbite, gradually warm them by applying a dry palm at body temperature;
• If there is a possibility of repeated frostbite due to icy areas of the body (grade 4 frostbite), they should not be allowed to thaw. If this happens, it is necessary to use any heat-insulating material to prevent re-frostbite, for example, a multi-layer cotton-gauze bandage, a padded jacket, or woolen fabric;
• it is imperative, regardless of the degree of injury, that the victim must be given a hot drink and/or food to ensure gradual warming from the inside;
• in case of frostbite of the second degree and higher and/or hypothermia of the moderate and severe stage, the victim must be immediately taken to the nearest medical center, preferably one with a trauma department.

First aid and treatment of “iron” frostbite

In most cases, this injury occurs to children when, in the cold, they touch metal objects with their tongue or unprotected fingers. When the skin or mucous membrane comes into contact with frozen metal, they “stick together.” In this situation, it is important not to tear off the stuck area. It is enough to pour slightly warm water so that the metal heats up and “releases” the attached part of the body. In the future, any anti-inflammatory agent should be applied to the affected area. antiseptic local action and place it in a warm place.

If the child does tear off the stuck area, it is necessary to rinse the wound surface with clean running warm water and treat it with any available antiseptic. If bleeding should be stopped using a hemostatic sponge, special medical patches or a sterile gauze bandage. In most cases, the wounds are not deep and heal quickly. For better recovery tissues and to prevent secondary infection, it is recommended to use any local antiseptic and regenerating agents, such as KEEPER balm.

Treatment of frostbite

First degree frostbite after correct provision of the first medical care does not require visiting a doctor. It is recommended to use regenerating and antiseptic external agents for a week to prevent the development of a secondary infection (there may be microcracks on the skin) and quick recovery. KEEPER balm is perfect for these purposes. For a month, it is strongly recommended to avoid repeated frostbite and contact of the affected area with cold. If the skin begins to peel, the KEEPER balm will also help; it helps well with peeling skin.

Second degree frostbite is treated on an outpatient basis and requires a visit to a doctor. Blisters are opened in a medical facility in compliance with all rules of asepsis and antisepsis. Blisters are not removed! Subsequently, antiseptic dressings with topical drying preparations containing antibiotics are applied. wide range and substances that stimulate regeneration. To reduce pain syndrome analgesics and/or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. To prevent the development of secondary infection, broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed. After two weeks, physiotherapeutic procedures may be prescribed for better tissue restoration. Throughout the entire treatment period and rehabilitation period it is necessary to strictly protect the affected areas from repeated contact with the cold.

Third and fourth stages of frostbite are treated only in a hospital in a specialized department.

In parallel or immediately after frostbite therapy, it is recommended to undergo vitamin therapy, immunotherapy and treatment of existing chronic diseases. This is especially true for chills, since its main cause is low immunity and vitamin deficiency.

The use of KEEPER balm for the treatment of frostbite

In the treatment of frostbite of the 1st and 2nd degree, the healing balm KEEPER can provide significant assistance.

In case of mild frostbite, it will be enough to regularly lubricate the damaged skin with balm, it will ensure the elimination of unpleasant symptoms.

If frostbite is deeper, a course of treatment will be required. The active components and oils included in the KEEPER balm have antiseptic, antipruritic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial actions, and also contribute to the restoration of affected skin, increase the regenerative and barrier functions of the skin.

KEEPER balm will help soothe damaged skin, reduce pain, relieve redness and burning sensation due to frostbite. Is effective means for dry and flaky skin.

Skin damaged by cold needs vitamins during recovery. KEEPER balm contains vitamins A and E; it will also be useful to take vitamin E orally.

The balm does not contain hormonal or antibiotic components. Does not cause allergies or irritation.

Update: December 2018

Cold is one of the harmful factors that constantly affects people's health. Its effect on the body can lead to weakened immunity and the development of illness (colds), damage to soft tissues and even nerve endings. If a man for a long time is in the cold and is not sufficiently protected from low temperatures, he can even get cold injury - frostbite of one of the body parts.

What is frostbite

In medicine, this term refers to any damage to soft tissue caused by cold. Frostbite has a lot in common with a burn; at first glance, it can be quite difficult to distinguish them. Low temperatures, as well as high ones, have the ability to destroy the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscles and nerve fibers. The peculiarity of cold is that it slows down the flow of blood through the arteries and veins. This leads to malnutrition and worsens the damage.

Frost most often affects the hands, feet or face (ears, cheeks or tip of the nose) - these are the most exposed places from low temperatures. Frostbite on the torso and neck is extremely rare, since such an injury can only be obtained after contact with a very cold object, for example, in a chemical production. Therefore, if you suspect the presence of frostbite, first of all it is necessary to inspect the places accessible to the cold.

What contributes to the development of frostbite?

The depth of the damage depends not only on the temperature and the duration of a person’s stay in the cold. There are groups of people in whom frostbite develops much more often and is more severe than in others. This is due to changes in the functioning of the heart/vessels or lifestyle features.

The most common factors contributing to the development of frostbite include:

• Weather-inappropriate clothing. To get a mild cold injury, it is enough to dress “lightly” in the cold. Lack of additional underwear, uninsulated shoes, bare hands - these are the most common reasons superficial frostbite (especially in young people). Deep damage develops only with prolonged exposure to low temperatures;
• Tight clothes. Excessive tightening of a certain area of ​​the body slows down blood flow and contributes to frostbite. For example, wearing tight shoes often leads to frostbitten toes;
• Alcohol intoxication. This is the most dangerous condition for humans in winter (especially in cold and snowy regions). Deep injuries with the development of gangrene and subsequent amputation are very common in alcohol abusers. This is due to three reasons:
  • A large amount of alcohol disrupts consciousness, which is why a person cannot control his behavior. Even his instinct of self-preservation is significantly suppressed - he can fall asleep in the snow or on the street in severe frost, stay in one position for a long time, etc.;
  • Alcohol disrupts normal sensitivity, and a person does not feel extreme cold;
  • Alcohol dilates blood vessels and disrupts the process of tissue respiration. All this leads to severe heat loss from the body.
• Chronic fatigue. In a person living in constant stress or on the verge of physical exhaustion, regulatory processes in the body and normal nutrition of organs are disrupted. They become more vulnerable to harmful factors, including frost;
• Diabetes. In patients with this pathology, over time, immunity is significantly reduced and the functioning of small blood vessels is disrupted. Hypothermia is extremely dangerous for this group of people, as they often develop not only frostbite, but also wet gangrene. The reason is the penetration of pyogenic microbes and the weakness of natural protective barriers;
• Diseases of the arteries and heart(chronic heart failure, long-term hypertonic disease, severe atherosclerosis, endarteritis, etc.). These diseases inevitably disrupt the proper flow of blood throughout the body or in a particular part of it. Lack of sufficient blood flow contributes to freezing of the skin and slows down its recovery;
• Raynaud's syndrome. This is a fairly rare pathology in which patients are contraindicated from overcooling their hands or feet. Due to disruption of the blood vessels in the hands and feet, there is a constant deficiency in nutrition of these parts of the body. In severe cases, the only treatment option is amputation. Exposure to low temperatures contributes to additional deep damage to these areas. Therefore, patients with Raynaud's syndrome should avoid them as much as possible.

The presence of signs of frostbite in a person with one of the above conditions always increases the risk of developing severe complications. First aid should be provided to those affected by the cold as quickly as possible, as this significantly improves the course of the disease and reduces the required treatment time.

Symptoms

When should first aid be given for frostbite? The answer is simple - when the first signs of this condition are detected. Since the legs, arms, or face are most often affected, they should be looked for on these parts of the body. The most typical symptoms of cold injury are:

• Redness or blueness of the skin. Directly during exposure to low temperatures, tissues often turn pale or blue. However, soon after this, they take on a bright red color due to dilation of the blood vessels. If the victim’s skin color does not change, this is an unfavorable sign that indicates malfunction arteries;
• Bubbles appear. Damage vascular wall leads to the “sweating” of the liquid part of the blood into the subcutaneous tissue. Bubbles can be of different sizes and with different contents, but more often with clear liquid(there may also be blood inside);
• Formation of edema;
• Loss/decrease in sensation. This symptom occurs when the functioning of nerve endings is disrupted. With superficial frostbite, sensitivity is restored fairly quickly after warming up;
• "Crawling" feeling. Another consequence of nerve damage;
• Sharp stabbing pain.

In extremely severe cases, the skin becomes black or dirty brown, completely loses sensitivity and takes on the ambient temperature. The only adequate tactics for this condition is amputation or excision of dead areas.

Degrees of frostbite

The degree is the depth of the damage. First aid for frostbite is carried out almost the same way, regardless of this nuance. However, to determine subsequent treatment, the need for surgery and the prognosis, it is simply necessary to find out how deeply the cold managed to affect a part of the body.

This procedure is carried out according to the usual external examination, palpation and monitoring of the condition of the frostbitten area over time. If necessary, the doctor can change tactics if the patient shows signs of more extensive damage or if infection is suspected.

The degrees, symptoms of frostbite inherent in them and the fundamental points in treatment are reflected in the table below:

Degree	Depth of injury	Features	Treatment tactics
I	Only the surface layer of the skin is the epidermis.	The skin is red, hot to the touch; Sensitivity is slightly reduced; If there are bubbles, they are small in size with transparent contents; Signs of injury disappear within 1-3 days.	Conservative – various procedures aimed at maintaining optimal temperature, preventing infection and restoring blood flow. There is no need for surgery.
II	Damage to the entire thickness of the dermis, except for the stem cell layer (without it, the tissue cannot be restored).	All signs of the first degree are preserved, except for the following nuances: Bubbles almost always appear; they are quite large and can be filled with blood; Healing occurs in 1-2 weeks.
III	The entire dermis and subcutaneous tissue, together with stem cells.	Skin color – pale or bluish; There is often widespread swelling in the affected area; The frostbitten area is cold due to vascular damage; Tissues never recover on their own; specialized treatment is required.	Excision of dead areas - necessary component treatment. After this, all the procedures described above are carried out.
IV	Cold injury penetrates to muscles, bones or internal organs.	The skin is black or purplish-bluish in color; Sensitivity is completely absent; When the skin and fiber are pierced, there is no blood or pain.

I and II degrees are considered superficial frostbite, since they do not damage stem cells and the affected area can recover on its own without surgery. III and IV – represent deep damage, the treatment of which is carried out exclusively by the surgical service.

First aid

All therapeutic measures must definitely start from this stage. The sooner first aid for frostbite is provided, the lower the likelihood of developing complications and deep lesions. If you find a victim of a cold injury, first of all, you must perform the following actions:

1. Avoid exposure to frost;
2. Warm the affected area with dry heat. To do this, simply place the person in a warm, dry room next to heating devices;
3. Remove all cold clothing and change the person into warm underwear;
4. If possible, the victim can be placed in a warm bath (water temperature 30 o C), gradually increasing the temperature to 40 o C;
5. Gently massage frostbitten tissues - this stimulates the blood vessels and improves blood supply;
6. Give the victim a warm/hot drink. If he is in an inhibited state, it is allowed to consume 50-100 g of strong alcoholic drinks. But only in a warm room and in the specified quantity;
7. It is recommended to apply a “thermal insulating” bandage to the damaged area for 15-20 hours. It is quite simple to do - apply a layer of dry cotton wool directly to the area of ​​injury, followed by a layer of cotton wool and gauze. The resulting bandage can be covered with oilcloth and covered with a warm cloth.

The first signs of frostbite and first aid should be known to every person. You should not wait for an ambulance to carry out initial treatment measures and improve the prognosis for the victim. Doctors should leave all other actions to restore the affected tissues and rehabilitate the patient.

What not to do if you have frostbite

1. Rub your skin with snow. Since it consists of small crystals and is almost always contaminated, snow can not only damage the dermis, but also facilitate the penetration of infection;
2. Injure the hypothermic area in any way. Since in this area there is a significantly reduced local immunity and slow blood supply, penetration even small quantity microbes can lead to purulent complications;
3. Quickly warm a person - sharp drop temperatures can further damage tissue;
4. Drink alcohol in the cold. This will only lead to an increase in heat loss and an inadequate assessment of the situation by the victims themselves.

Treatment

After providing assistance, it is recommended to begin treatment for frostbite as quickly as possible. To do this, you should consult a doctor, who will determine how deeply the tissue is affected. Exactly from this decision All further actions to restore the frostbitten area and carry out therapeutic measures will depend.

Therapy for superficial frostbite

The presence of a grade I or II injury allows you to avoid the need for surgery. Since such injuries do not affect the layer of stem cells, the skin and subcutaneous tissue can recover on their own, even with fairly extensive damage. To speed up this process and prevent the development of severe complications, the following medications can be used:

Group of drugs	Mechanism of action of the drug	Typical representatives
Anti-inflammatory non-hormonal drugs	By blocking the production of substances that stimulate pain receptors and enhance inflammation processes, these drugs have a good analgesic effect and help prevent further trauma to the skin and fiber.	Ketorol; Citramon; Nimesulide; Meloxicam; Ibuprofen.
Antispasmodic	By relaxing the vascular wall, antispasmodics improve blood flow to the frostbitten area, which stimulates recovery processes	Drotaverine; Papaverine; Bencyclane; Vincamine.
Anti-clotting	With any serious and extensive injuries, the processes of blood clot formation are activated. This condition can lead to serious complications such as heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism.	Pentoxifylline; Any drugs with acetylsalicylic acid(Aspirin, Cardiomagnyl, Aspirin Cardio, etc.); Heparin preparations.
Microcirculation correctors	Restoring the vascular wall and normal blood circulation helps speed up the healing process and strengthen local immunity.	Actovegin; Vitamin PP (nicotinic acid).

If necessary, the patient can perform certain therapeutic measures that will improve his well-being and restore adequate blood flow:

• Laser therapy– a method of influencing frostbitten areas of the body, in which they are warmed up with a directed beam of thermal energy. It is great for treating any part of the body and treating frostbite in a child, thanks to complete safety and painlessness of the procedure;
• Hyperbaric oxygenation– a special procedure in which the victim is placed in an environment with a high concentration of oxygen. This allows you to improve the saturation of all organs with this gas, which has a beneficial effect on metabolic and recovery processes;
• Use of galvanic currents– a technique proven over the years, designed to stimulate cell function using point currents of constant strength;
• UHF irradiation– a method of deep heating of soft tissues and acceleration of metabolic processes in them. For this purpose, a certain area is exposed to special ultra-high frequency waves.

Unfortunately, most medical institutions in the Russian Federation they are not able to provide the listed procedures for the patient. However, this has virtually no effect on the prognosis, but only slows down the recovery process.

Treatment of deep injuries

All of the above measures can be carried out in patients with grade III-IV injuries, but there is one fundamental difference. With such a depth of damage, the victim almost always requires surgical operations. They have two main goals:

1. Remove all dead tissue. It is unacceptable to leave dead areas on the body without attention, as they can become a source of toxins and poisoning of the entire body. This procedure is necessarily performed under adequate anesthesia, so it is almost painless for the patient. As a rule, the operation is not performed immediately after admission to the hospital, but after a certain time. It is necessary so that the boundary between viable and dead tissues becomes more clearly visible;
2. Restore skin integrity. Since deep lesions irreversibly damage the stem cell layer, the skin must be helped to recover. For this purpose, it is transplanted from other parts of the patient’s body. This technique avoids the risk of graft rejection and completely restores the integrity of the skin.

After surgical treatment, doctors continue to rehabilitate the patient conservative methods– with the help of dressings, medications and without a scalpel. The duration of therapy can vary significantly, but, as a rule, it rarely takes longer than 3-4 weeks.

FAQ

Question:
How dangerous is frostbite on the cheeks?

The entire face is very well supplied with blood, so frost injuries are rarely observed in this area. In most cases, after providing first aid, light conservative therapy and warming treatments to restore the skin. However, to determine the exact tactics, it is strongly recommended to consult a doctor.

Question:
What treatment will allow you to recover from frostbite on your hands if some of your fingers have turned black?

Unfortunately, black coloring is a sign of complete tissue death. In this case, the only solution is amputation.

Question:
How to prevent the development of frostbite?

To do this, you should dress appropriately for the weather, avoid tight clothing and drinking alcohol in the cold.

Question:
Do I need to go to the hospital with a first degree cold injury?

This lesion can usually be successfully treated at home. To do this, it is enough to provide the correct primary care and carrying out warming activities. All symptoms should disappear within 1-3 days.

With the arrival of winter, doctors have more work to do. And one of the reasons for this is frostbite ().

To understand how serious the tissue damage caused by frostbite is, you need to know the basic signs of such a cold injury. It is also important to provide the patient with timely assistance. And this article is precisely intended to tell you about the signs of 1, 2, 3 degrees of frostbite, as well as the first emergency care with him.

Initial symptoms

To understand how serious the tissue damage caused by frostbite is, you need to know the basic signs of such a cold injury. This will allow us to help a person much faster and better if he has frozen limbs or other parts of the body.

With varying intensity and depth of tissue freezing, the main manifestations can be identified:

1. Numbness of the affected parts of the body, lack of response to stimuli to varying degrees, which is associated with the depth of the injury.
2. Painful tingling (mild or strong), possibly a feeling of fullness.
3. Pronounced whiteness of the skin at the site of frostbite (I degree).
4. The appearance of blisters, as with; blue skin, pain (II degree).
5. Dark, blue spots(areas of necrosis at stage III), bloody blisters.
6. Black (as if charred) areas and glaciation (IV degree).

We will discuss below what first aid is for each classification.

The video below will tell you about the symptoms of frostbite and help with it:

First aid for frostbite

To begin, let's briefly look at three basic principles of first aid for frostbite of the limbs and other parts of the body.

Basic principles

There are three basic principles of emergency care tactics:

1. The sooner the effect of cold stops, the higher the effectiveness of treatment.
2. Proper warming of the affected area involves first restoring blood flow in the microvessels of frostbitten tissue and only then increasing the temperature inside the tissue. Then warming occurs naturally: warm blood enters the gradually expanding vessels of the diseased area from the central regions of the body while simultaneously restoring cellular metabolism.
3. Any method that provides active external heating carries the risk of developing frostbite in frostbitten tissues. oxygen starvation and a high probability of necrosis, which ultimately means amputation.

First emergency first aid for frostbite and general hypothermia is discussed below.

First aid for burns and frostbite

First aid

What not to do

The basic principles explain the prohibition of certain actions when trying to warm a frostbitten part of the body if blood flow is not restored in it, and the vessels are “empty” due to a cold spasm.

If your nose, ears, cheeks, fingers, hands, feet and any other parts of the body are frostbitten, under no circumstances should you:

• Rubbing them with snow or a rough cloth, which will cause microtraumas on the skin, will freeze the body even more, worsening the condition.
• For frostbite of 2-4 degrees, massage, pinch and rub with your hands, further injuring the damaged tissue.
• Apply hot heating pads. Sudden jump temperature at the point of contact of cold skin with a hot object will lead to additional heat, which will aggravate all the destructive processes occurring in frozen tissues.
• Immerse the limb in hot water. Such actions, for example, can “ensure” complete loss fingers with a deep degree of damage, which is most often difficult to determine by eye.

“Hot” in this case is water with a temperature higher than the temperature of the affected area by only more than 4 degrees. For example, if the skin temperature is 32 C, then “hot” for this option will already be at 36 C Celsius.

• Do not allow any smearing with fats, creams and ointments and rubbing with alcohol. The use of alcohol is possible for mild frostbite, but at the first stage of the process (until the limb or part of the body begins to warm up), it is difficult to determine its severity.

The danger of rapid warming

• If the temperature in frostbitten areas of the body (legs, arms, nose, ears, cheeks, fingers) increases sharply, a thermal burn will occur, and the tissue and muscles will remain frozen. Heat activates metabolic processes. But the vessels are still compressed, clogged, and blood circulation is either absent or impaired. Cells, not receiving nutrition and oxygen from the blood, quickly lose energy and die.
• In addition, with sudden warming, the victim experiences extreme painful sensations and, which can lead to painful shock.

Read below about what first aid is for frostbite and freezing.

What to do

When the first signs of frostbite appear, it is necessary for the victim to warm up, since only internal warming can give positive result if a person has frozen part of the body. To properly help and prevent tissue necrosis from developing, you must:

1. Avoid further cooling.
2. Ensure slow internal warming by removing all frozen clothing and placing the person in a warm room.
3. Wear warm, dry underwear, cover with blankets, and give sweet hot drinks (fruit drinks, tea, coffee).

The video below will tell you what first aid is for frostbite (frostbite):

For minor frostbite

For minor frostbite:

1. Gently warm the affected area with warm hands, very gently “squeezing” soft fabrics, but without rubbing the skin too actively.
2. Place the frostbitten limb, hand, or foot in warm water, the temperature of which can be only 2–3 degrees higher than the skin temperature. And then gradually increase it to 37 - 40 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes.
3. Apply a dry, warm bandage, wrapped in a woolen cloth, and continue to warm the patient.

If the skin becomes pinker and tenderness appears, we can assume that blood circulation has been restored.

First steps for frostbite

For frostbite above degree II

For frostbite above degree II:

1. They call an ambulance or immediately take the person to the hospital (trauma department).
2. Do not use water for warming, as in the case of mild frostbite.
3. At severe conditions 3 - 4 degrees, icing of the limb - do not allow the affected area to thaw.
4. A sterile bandage, a thick layer of cotton wool or cotton fabric, polyethylene, or woolen fabric (in several layers) is applied to frostbitten areas. Optimally, each subsequent layer should be wider in area. Such a dry warming compress leads to a gradual dilation of blood vessels and restoration of blood flow.

For “iron” frostbite

This injury occurs if a naked part of the body (fingers, nose, lips, tongue) touches metal in the cold. The mucous membrane or surface layer of the skin freezes to it.

What to do:

1. Do not jerk your fingers away sharply, do not tear off the “stuck” tongue, as often happens with children. Otherwise, in addition to a cold burn, a person will receive damage to the mucous membrane with bleeding and the likelihood of infection.
2. Pour warm water over the “freezing” area so that the metal heats up, then the consequences of injury will be minimal.
3. Cover the “burn” with a bandage and place the victim in a warm place.
4. If the area stuck to the metal is still “torn off”, you need to quickly rinse the surface with boiled warm water and an antiseptic (Chlorhexidine, Miramistin). Stop the bleeding. If the skin is affected, you can use hydrogen peroxide; if the mucous membranes are affected, it is better to press sterile bandages to the wound.

First aid

So, the first honey. assistance to victims of frostbite. The ability to fully, intensively and quickly restore microcirculation in case of deep frostbite (from the second degree) exists only in the hospital.

This can be explained by the fact that the progression of the frostbite stage before warming is characterized by the absence of vivid sensations (except for tingling), and it is very difficult to determine how extensive and deep the lesions are. And only after hospitalization can this be done reliably.

Therefore, emergency specialists first of all:

1. The general condition of a frostbitten person is assessed by determining blood pressure readings, the proper functioning of the heart muscle and respiratory organs.
2. Determine the likelihood of development, risk of laryngeal edema, bronchospasm.
3. Measures are taken to revive the patient on the spot if, in addition to local frostbite, the person has suffered severe general frostbite, and respiratory and cardiac arrest were detected.
4. At severe pain Analgesics are administered intramuscularly: Ketonal, Xefocam.
5. Apply a heat-insulating bandage and, if a limb is frostbitten, ensure its fixation.
6. The person is hospitalized in the trauma department.

Next, doctors in the hospital analyze the depth of the process and the degree of tissue damage, developing intensive treatment for the patient. The main task is to prevent necrosis, activate blood supply and cell healing.

Knowledge of how to treat frostbite can truly save a victim's life. Therefore, everyone should know the nuances of help.

Dr. Komarovsky will tell you how to help a child with frostbite in this video: