With the advent of severe frosts, it is simply necessary to find out as much useful information as possible on the possible ways of getting frostbite of the extremities and first aid in this condition. After all, with improper actions, you can aggravate the situation, and knowing the rules of prevention, on the contrary, prevent its occurrence.
What is frostbite
In medicine, the so-called damage to the distal and protruding parts of the body due to exposure to too low temperatures. Although in fact, contrary to popular belief, with positive indicators on the thermometer, you can also encounter such an unpleasant phenomenon. According to doctors, even at a temperature of 5-10 degrees, there is also a rather high risk of getting frostbite.
Why is happening
In addition, there are a number of harmful conditions for humans, affecting the chances of a collision with this phenomenon:
- high humidity;
- strong wind;
- significant blood loss;
- excessive relaxation of the body against the background of alcohol or drug intoxication, as well as past illnesses that weakened it;
- wet tight clothes, shoes;
- body immobility at low temperatures;
- pathology of the cardiovascular system.
The quicker first aid is provided for frostbite of the extremities, the more chances a person has to stay alive and expect a favorable outcome. It is worth remembering that both adults and young children are equally affected by this condition. But whatever the age of the affected person, it is very important to provide first aid in order to avoid complications. When frostbite of the extremities, this factor plays a key role.
Signs of a critical situation
Being at low temperatures on the street, you should especially carefully monitor the condition of the protruding parts of the body: arms, legs, cheeks, ears, nose. If you have at least the slightest suspicion of frostbite, you should not hesitate and take appropriate measures.
In total, several degrees of the pathological condition are known:
- the first degree is characterized by the occurrence of not very sharp pain, a sensation of tingling of the limbs, their slight pallor and redness;
- for the second degree, the appearance of other signs of frostbite of the extremities is characteristic - blue skin, blisters and pronounced pain;
- with the third degree of damage, there is a strong darkening of the tissues and the appearance of blood bubbles;
- the fourth degree is considered the most severe and is characterized by necrosis of the tissues and complete numbness of the affected part of the body.
The first harbinger and main symptom of frostbite of the extremities is whitening of the skin. In the first degree, you can do it yourself and correct the situation, but in the second, third or fourth, you should immediately go to the hospital.
First aid for frostbite
There are several rules, adhering to which a person can save not only life, but also affected parts of the body. It is extremely important to strictly follow the rules of first aid for frostbite of the extremities and not to do what is forbidden. Otherwise, you can only aggravate the already critical situation, causing irreparable harm and provoking irreversible consequences.
So what to do when frostbite of the extremities?
- First of all, the victim should be moved to a warm room. If you take appropriate measures in the cold, there will be no sense in them.
- Then the victim must be given a warm liquid, almost anything will do: tea, broth, coffee or just water. Drinking plenty of water will not only warm you from the inside, but also improve blood circulation in narrowed vessels.
- Then the affected limbs should be released by removing shoes and clothes.
These are the main rules of first aid, which should be followed when identifying the first signs of frostbite of the extremities of any degree.
Leakage features
Faced with the first stage of frostbite, a person may well do without doctors and hospitalization. In such a situation, first aid is usually sufficient. First of all, it is necessary to perform the already described actions for frostbite of the limbs, and after that proceed with further measures.
It is worth saying that the determination of the degree of damage is carried out according to its characteristic symptoms. If you are not confident in your competence, do not take risks - in this case, it is better to contact specialists. Moreover, when it comes to frostbite in a child, in such a situation a visit to the hospital is mandatory for any degree of damage.
What to do at the initial stage
When detecting the first stage of frostbite, you should adhere to a certain algorithm of actions.
- Warm affected limbs. There are two ways to do this. For example, attach them to warm parts of the body or pick them up. Or take a different path - immerse frostbitten limbs in warm, but not hot water. Initially, the temperature of the liquid should not exceed 37 degrees, then you can gradually add a little hot water to it. But still, the indicator should not exceed 40 degrees.
- If there are no blisters or wounds on the damaged skin, it can be gently rubbed with gauze, cotton wool or a napkin dipped in warm water.
- After warming the limbs, they need to be wiped dry and a cotton-gauze bandage applied. Each layer of gauze or bandage should be shifted with cotton wool - there should be 2-3 in total. On top of the bandage you need to wrap polyethylene and wrap the affected limb in a warm blanket.
- It is advisable that the affected parts of the body be completely at rest. To do this, you can resort to fixing the limb with solid objects, such as a tablet or cardboard.
Help with deep frostbite
Often a person who has been on the street for a long time at a low temperature, cannot independently understand that he begins to freeze his toes, hands or protruding parts of the body. If the necessary help is not provided on time, the outcome of the situation can turn out to be very deplorable.
If a person has signs of the second, third or fourth stage of frostbite, he should be immediately sent to the hospital. In the meantime, until the medical team arrived, first aid should be provided.
Strong hypothermia action algorithm
What to do when frostbite of the toes, hands or protruding parts of the body of a deep nature?
- First of all, it is necessary to remove clothes and shoes from the affected areas. Only this must be done with extreme caution so as not to inadvertently damage the skin.
- If things are stuck or frozen, which often happens with significant frostbite, they should be slightly moistened with warm water. Then the clothes should be carefully cut into pieces with scissors with rounded tips.
- After the frostbitten limbs are freed from the tissue, they need to be warmed up with warm water. Then gently pat the skin with a soft towel. In conclusion, a bandage of cotton wool, bandage and polyethylene must be applied to the limb. This should be done with extreme caution so as not to accidentally damage the skin.
What is unacceptable when frostbite
In some cases, people, trying to help, can harm the victim even more. In other words, due to improper actions, more problems appear than with the complete absence of help. There are many misconceptions, due to which many people incorrectly provide first aid and only exacerbate the situation.
- In no case should you rub the damaged areas with snow. Thus, one can not only injure the skin, scratch it or appear blisters, but also prolong the process of hypothermia itself.
- In addition, you can not sharply warm the limbs. Warming up too quickly will lead to the opposite result, as a result of which the victim will fall into a state of shock. What to do when frostbite feet or hands? Gradually warm them, but under no circumstances should the limbs be lowered directly into hot water. In addition, it is forbidden to bring damaged parts of the body to batteries, fire, or other sources of heat. Limbs need to be warmed only gradually and with extreme caution. Often, after hypothermia, a person, on the contrary, seeks to plunge into hot water as soon as possible or take a shower, thinking that he will warm the body as soon as possible. If the victim is near a fire or battery, he may even get a thermal burn. After all, frozen hands or feet will not feel temperature differences for a very long time and simply will not feel that they are touching an overly hot surface.
What else can not be done
Here are some more popular misconceptions:
- Among other things, do not resort to alcohol. In no case should you give the victim alcohol and even more so rub his skin. This paragraph for the most part applies, of course, to adult victims, but often parents try to warm the frozen child with vodka. But in fact, this cannot be done.
- It is also undesirable to rub the injured limbs with all kinds of warming oils, ointments and creams.
- You do not need to warm your legs and arms with quick, sharp movements - this can only damage the frostbitten parts of the body even more. Ideally, the limbs should, on the contrary, be fixed in one position, using a bandage and something solid.
- Under no circumstances should you try to open the blisters on your own. This procedure can only be performed by a doctor with the help of special devices and antiseptic drugs.
So what to do when frostbite of the legs, arms or protruding parts of the body? Refrain from the described actions, which are erroneous, and provide competent medical care as quickly and accurately as possible. Only in this way can all kinds of complications and negative consequences be truly avoided.
What alternative medicine offers
Frostbite can be cured at home with the help of folk remedies. True, do not forget that any therapy for tissue damage at home is possible only with the first degree of damage. If a person has signs of the second, third or fourth stage of frostbite, only a doctor can deal with it.
At home, after severe hypothermia and slight damage to the limbs, several effective procedures can be performed.
- First, you should check your legs and arms for injuries, cuts and blisters. If there is no damage, you can grind the frostbitten areas with a decoction or tincture of chamomile. This plant promotes rapid healing, and is also famous for its soothing and anti-inflammatory properties, which in this case will be in your hands. In addition, this decoction is perfect for treating delicate and very sensitive baby skin.
- Perfectly helps to cure frostbite goose fat. They need to rub the damaged areas, and then apply a gauze bandage to them.
- You can also use a compress of aloe juice and calendula infusion.
- To improve blood flow, you can drink hot linden tea with honey, lemon and ginger root.
The main thing - it should be understood that even the most innocuous, at first glance, recipes must be agreed with a specialist. Especially when it comes to frostbite in a small child.
Prevention
Doctors do not stop talking about the different rules of behavior on the street during the cold, adhering to which it is almost impossible to face frostbite:
- shoes and clothes should not be too tight - air should remain between things and the body;
- if you plan to stay on the street for a long time, try to constantly move, periodically go into warm rooms and drink hot drinks;
- on all open areas, for example, cheeks and nose, it is advisable to apply a special protective agent.
A few recommendations in the end
Long being in the cold, you should:
- All the time it is necessary to check the fingers on the hands for strong whitening and redness, in infants should follow the tip of the nose and cheeks.
- If shoes or clothes are wet, you need to change clothes immediately.
- It is advisable to stock up on shoes a size larger so that even in warm socks the legs remain free.
- As for clothing, it should be not only warm, but also best made of natural materials.
- At low temperatures, the body spends more energy than during normal times, so it’s advisable to eat and relax before going out.