Frostbite is a serious damage to body tissues that has occurred under the influence of cold. You can not ignore it, otherwise you may encounter consequences, which will not be easy to eliminate.
Brief description of the phenomenon
As a rule, it affects the protruding parts of the body - the head, insufficiently insulated arms and legs. Often, it is also accompanied by general hypothermia.
It is enough to stay in the cold at a temperature of -10 ° C to expose yourself to this. And since such indicators are not uncommon in our country, it is useful for everyone to know what to do with frostbite, which we will discuss now. Different situations happen, it may come in handy.
Symptoms and Degrees
To begin with, it is worth listing the signs indicating that a person has received frostbite. Here's how to describe them:
- 1 degree. Tingling, numbness, and burning sensation on affected skin. The cover itself is pale. After warming, swelling and redness of a crimson-red hue are formed. Passes in a week, accompanied by peeling.
- 2 degree. Bubbles filled with a clear liquid form on the integument. After warming, severe itching and sharp pain appear. The skin will recover two weeks.
- 3 degree. All skin layers are affected. Obvious necrosis - necrosis, tissue death. There are bubbles, but they are filled with bloody fluid. Heals for at least a month, scars form.
- 4 degree. With it, all layers of the skin are affected by necrosis. Persistent edema and loss of sensation are observed.
The first two degrees are more common. Because to get the third and fourth degree, you need to spend more than one hour at extremely low temperatures.
It should also be noted that frostbite is accompanied by hypothermia (body temperature may drop below 34 ° C), chills, decreased respiratory rate, heart rate and pressure.
Primary actions
And now you can talk about what to do with frostbite. Naturally, the first thing you need to immediately go home if you suspect hypothermia, in the heat. On the way you need to do the following:
- Wear a hat or hood if your ears are cold.
- Raise the collar of a jacket or sweater to hide your nose. Or tie a face with a scarf. If there is neither one nor the other, it is permitted to cover the nose with gloves on.
- In case of frostbite of the cheeks, do the same as said in the previous paragraph.
- With hypothermia, you can stick them in the axillary area.
- If your feet are frozen, you need to move your fingers as actively as possible.
Is it far to home or destination? Then you need to find any room nearby - a shop, a shopping center, a cafe, even a staircase will do. But the cafe is better. You can take tea or coffee, keep warm.
But the most important thing is to move actively. This will increase blood circulation and minimize the degree of damage.
Arms
Now, in more detail about what to do when frostbite is a specific part of the body. At first - about the hands.
Need to take off cold clothes, change into warm clothes. Make a hot (but not alcoholic) drink. Tea with lemon and honey, for example. And start warming your hands.
The process is phased. Do not immediately place your hands under a stream of hot water. You can start at about 20 ° C. As the sensitivity returns and the limbs improve, you need to slowly increase the temperature.
But it happens that at the most unnecessary moment the water is turned off. What to do when frostbite hands in this case? You can rub them with a soft cloth, try to warm them with warm breath, and then wrap them with something warm (blanket, blanket).
After these actions should become easier. If instead of normalizing the condition, progressive edema, blisters and acute pain appear, you must urgently go to the hospital.
Legs
So, here's what to do when frostbite of the fingers and feet:
- Once home, remove shoes and socks.
- Gather the pace in a basin of water. 20 ° C, lower your legs there.
- As warming, add boiling water.
- In parallel, rub the affected limbs with your hands, do massage.
- Get wet with a towel, apply a warm bandage or put on socks, you can preheat them on the battery.
These steps will help. Physical exposure will tone the feet, heat will restore blood circulation, socks or a bandage will protect the damaged areas from infection.
If all else fails, call an ambulance. Prior to the arrival of the doctors, do not remove the warm bandage, take cover with a woolen blanket, and keep warm. The limbs should be motionless.
Face
The least protected part of the body in cold weather. Of course, we can not say about what to do when frostbite of the cheeks.
The steps are similar to the recommendations described above. First you need to get to a dry and warm room, change clothes. And then proceed to a smooth process of warming, trying to stretch it in time. The actions are as follows:
- First you need to do a light warming massage.
- Then apply a heating pad to the cheeks and nose. Its external temperature should not be higher than 30 ° C. Spend on applying a heating pad can be half an hour.
- If the condition has become normal, which is manifested in the preservation of basic reflexes and consciousness, then you can start drinking or eating something warm. But it should not be hotter than 35 ° C.
- After that, you need to go to bed under a warm and thick blanket, sliding it to your eyes.
By the way, if there is no heating pad, you can resort to an alternative option. In the pan, draw warm water and, covered with a thick towel, hang over it. Something like inhalation. But! Steam should not be hot, but warm. And no essential oils and other additives need to be poured there. A pan with water only to create comfortable conditions for heating.
That's all there is to do. Frostbite of the cheeks in a child and in an adult will take place after these measures, unless, of course, this is an early stage case.
Prohibited Actions
They also need to be listed. What to do when frostbite of the legs, hands, cheeks and nose, it is clear, but what actions can harm? So, the list is as follows:
- Rubbing snow. That it helps is a lie. Such actions can only further cool the damaged area. Microtraumas of the skin and spasms of blood vessels are provided. For the same reasons, rubbing with essential oils and alcohol is prohibited.
- Alcohol consumption. Hot drinks give only the illusion of heat, its subjective sensation. Everyone at such moments forget that alcohol dilates blood vessels, which is why the patient's condition only worsens.
- Active rubbing of the nose. This part of the face is extremely sensitive. Rubbing can damage blood vessels, provoke bleeding, bacterial infection, trauma.
- Fast hot warming. A seductive way, but undesirable. Due to the rapid entry of cold blood into the main bloodstream, which will immediately change to hot, blood pressure will drop sharply. So no fireplaces, hot heating pads, baths or open flames.
And of course, it’s worth separately mentioning self-medication. That's what you can not do with frostbite for sure. Independent first aid is acceptable, but the treatment of the consequences should be carried out by a highly qualified doctor.
Effects
It is impossible not to mention them. It is extremely important to seriously approach the problem of frostbite, since what happened can entail:
- The formation of granulations and scars on the skin that will remain forever.
- Massive necrosis, the appearance of gangrenous foci. In severe stages, amputation may be necessary to avoid infection.
- Secondary bacterial infections. Cuts, abrasions, and destruction of peripheral vessels can cause them.
- Kidney and liver failure. This is a consequence of pathological processes.
- Sepsis of blood, if the decay product of necrotic tissue is in the arterial bloodstream.
One could add a fatal outcome to the list, but this is a consequence of an extremely severe degree of frostbite and the absence of any medical care.
Treatment
He is prescribed by the doctor after the examination, he also indicates the duration of therapy and dosage of drugs. Usually prescribed:
- Antispasmodics. These drugs effectively relieve vasospasms that interfere with normal blood circulation. The most common medicines are Mebeverin and Drotaverin.
- Outdoor facilities. They are needed for disinfection, weakening the inflammatory process, and also to get rid of necrotic tissues. Often use "Iruksol" and "Triderm".
- Analgesics. Eliminate the pain syndrome. Most fit "Fentanyl", "Promedol" and analgin.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. Prescribe both NSAIDs and hormonal steroid drugs. The first is Ibuprofen, aspirin. The second is Dexamethasone, Prednisone, Cortisol.
- Anticoagulants. Contribute to a decrease in blood coagulability. They may prescribe Warfarin, Dicumarin, and Heparin.
- Antiplatelet agents. Prevent thrombosis by inhibiting platelet adhesion. “Triflusal” and “Curantil” help a lot.
- Vasodilating. The most popular are Papaverine, Theobromine, and Chlorazitsin.
In addition to the above, other drugs can be prescribed, starting with angioprotectors and ending with antibiotics. However, what to do with frostbite, and what medications to drink, the doctor will say.
Folk remedies
They are recommended to be used only after coordinating the technique with the doctor, and only with mild forms of frostbite. Here are some recipes:
- Compress. Mix a teaspoon of calendula tincture with warm water (0.5 L). Soak a soft, small towel in the resulting solution and apply it to frost-bitten places 2-3 times a day for 40 minutes. The treatment lasts 7 days.
- Natural mix. Mix 50 milliliters of celandine juice and lemon. Pour some ginger. To stir thoroughly. The resulting mixture rub the affected skin three times a day for a week.
- Lotions. A tablespoon of dried chamomile flowers brew a glass of boiling water. Wrap up, let it brew for 2 hours. Strain and make lotions four times a day.
- Viburnum. This berry is an old Russian anti-frostbite remedy. A few tablespoons of fresh viburnum should be poured with boiling water (0.5 l) and let it brew for 15 minutes. Strain. This volume is drunk in three doses - in the morning, afternoon and evening. It is recommended to make such a drink for 10 days.
Many victims of cold say: when frostbite is necessary to do one of the following. After all, the means are effective and time-tested.