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Cold Injury (Frostbite)

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Physeal Injury Other Than Fracture

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Abstract

Frostbite is freezing of the tissues by dry cold, sometimes aided by dampness and wind [5]. Children are particularly susceptible. They often do not have the intelligence to properly protect themselves or may not appreciate the significance of numbness, an early symptom of frostbite. Complications are usually found in patients who suffer initial damage from advanced stage two or three frostbite injury [7, 8]. The skeletal abnormalities are complex and unique; only the hands and feet are affected. Cold injury in children differs from that in adults in that damage to the physis may result in growth disturbance [9, 18]. The popularity of bone banks may have given a false impression of the ability of bone and cartilage to survive extreme cold [16].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Emeritus Chair Mayo Clinic Division of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery, Emeritus Consultant, Rochester, USA

    Hamlet A. Peterson MD, MS (Emeritus Professor of Orthopedics)

  2. Mayo Medical School Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, Minnesota, 55905, USA

    Hamlet A. Peterson MD, MS (Emeritus Professor of Orthopedics)

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  1. Hamlet A. Peterson MD, MS
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Correspondence to Hamlet A. Peterson MD, MS .

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© 2012 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research 2011

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Peterson, H.A. (2012). Cold Injury (Frostbite). In: Physeal Injury Other Than Fracture. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22563-5_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-22563-5_7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-22562-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-22563-5

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