Time Matters in Severe Frostbite: Assessment of Limb/Digit Salvage on the Individual Patient Level

Severe frostbite is associated with high levels of morbidity through loss of digits or limbs. The aim of this study was to examine the salvage rate following severe frostbite injury. Frostbite patients from 2006 to 2014 were identified in the prospectively maintained database at a single urban burn and trauma center. Patients with imaging demonstrating a lack of blood flow in limbs/digits were included in the analysis (N = 73). The Hennepin Frostbite Score was used to quantify frostbite injury and salvage. This score provides a single value to assess each individual patient’s salvage rate. The majority of patients with perfusion deficits were male (80%) with an average age of 42 years (range 11–83 years). Patients requiring amputation tended to be older (P = .002), have more tissue impacted by frostbite (P
Source: Journal of Burn Care and Research - Category: Rehabilitation Tags: Original Articles: 2016 ABA Papers Source Type: research