Tolio: Foot Rot in Grand Canyon River Runners.

Treating skin disorders in wilderness settings is often challenging. In this report we describe common skin conditions affecting the feet of river runners on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. These conditions are frequently referred to by river runners with a catchall term, "tolio." Several skin disorders have been identified as components of tolio, with the most prevalent currently being pitted keratolysis. We present a case of pitted keratolysis in a river guide occurring during a multiday river trip, where treatment can be difficult. Prevention is often more important.

A review of trench foot: a disease of the past in the present.

From the French Invasion of Russia in 1812, to Glastonbury festival in 2007, trench foot has been reported, yet the exact nature of the condition remains unclear. This review explores the pathogenesis and treatment of trench foot. Trench foot is considered to be a nonfreezing cold injury often complicated by infection, in which exposure to cold temperatures just above freezing, combined with moisture, results in a peripheral vasoneuropathy. The presence of physical trauma, bacterial or fungal infections, malnutrition, venous hypertension and lymphoedema mean that some individuals are at greater risk of trench foot. Trench foot may be prevented by warming the feet, changing socks, staying active, rubbing the skin with oil and regularly inspecting the feet. Avoiding risk factors may help prevent the condition. The management of trench foot is less clear. Vasodilators such as iloprost and nicotinyl tartrate or sympathectomy may help. Trench foot may lead to necrosis, cellulitis, sepsis and amputation. It remains a poorly understood condition.

Hypothermia and Cold Weather Injuries.

Hypothermia, frostbite, and nonfreezing cold injuries predominantly affect older adults, homeless or intoxicated people, adventurers, and military personnel. Prevention begins with clothing that is clean, layered, and loose to promote circulation. Base layers made of moisture-wicking materials are favored over wool or cotton. Wool or fleece garments are ideal for middle layers, whereas outer layers should repel moisture. Hypothermia occurs when core body temperature drops below 95°F and can be staged by clinical symptoms when core temperature measurement is unavailable. Initial treatment includes external and internal rewarming. Warmed normal saline is favored over lactated Ringer solution. Frostbite is a freezing injury that usually affects the extremities. After rapid rewarming, prognosis is best determined with technetium 99mTc pyrophosphate scintigraphy or magnetic resonance angiography. Initial treatment includes protecting tissue from further trauma, preventing refreezing, and avoiding dry heat sources. Ideally, patients should be transported to facilities where rapid rewarming, imaging, and thrombolytic treatment are available. Tissue plasminogen activator significantly decreases amputation rates for severe injuries if started within 24 hours of rewarming. Immersion foot occurs during damp nonfreezing conditions. Rapid rewarming should be avoided, and amitriptyline should be considered for pain control.

Frostbite and Immersion Foot Care.

Historically, cold injury, hypothermia, and frostbite have been severe problems for military units on the battlefield. Kenneth D. Orr and David C. Fainer captured these difficulties in their book, Cold Injuries in Korea During Winter of 1950-51, still cited in military medical readiness training. While not common in modern conflicts, the potential exists for large numbers of these casualties in war and during training.

The Infectious and Noninfectious Dermatological Consequences of Flooding: A Field Manual for the Responding Provider.

Meteorological data show that disastrous floods are increasingly frequent and more severe in recent years, perhaps due to climatic changes such as global warming. During and after a flood disaster, traumatic injuries, communicable diseases, chemical exposures, malnutrition, decreased access to care, and even mental health disorders dramatically increase, and many of these have dermatological manifestations. Numerous case reports document typical and atypical cutaneous infections, percutaneous trauma, immersion injuries, noninfectious contact exposures, exposure to wildlife, and exacerbation of underlying skin diseases after such disasters as the 2004 Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the 2010 Pakistan floods. This review attempts to provide a basic field manual of sorts to providers who are engaged in care after a flooding event, with particular focus on the infectious consequences. Bacterial pathogens such as Staphylococcus and Streptococcus are still common causes of skin infections after floods, with atypical bacteria also greatly increased. Vibrio vulnificus is classically associated with exposure to saltwater or brackish water. It may present as necrotizing fasciitis with hemorrhagic bullae, and treatment consists of doxycycline or a quinolone, plus a third-generation cephalosporin and surgical debridement. Atypical mycobacterial infections typically produce indolent cutaneous infections, possibly showing sporotrichoid spread. A unique nontuberculous infection called spam has recently been identified in Satowan Pacific Islanders; combination antibiotic therapy is recommended. Aeromonas infection is typically associated with freshwater exposure and, like Vibrio infections, immunocompromised or cirrhotic patients are at highest risk for severe disease, such as necrotizing fasciitis and sepsis. Various antibiotics can be used to treat Aeromonas infections. Melioidosis is seen mainly in Southeast Asia and Australia, particularly in rice farmers, and can remain latent for many years before presenting as the host's immunocompetence wanes. It can present with a variety of skin findings or as a nonspecific febrile illness, and preferred treatment consists of ceftazidime or a carbapenem with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) for 2 weeks, then continuing TMP/SMX for at least 3 months. Leptospirosis is a waterborne zoonosis that is often prevalent after heavy rains or flooding. Different forms exist, including Fort Bragg fever, which produces a distinctive erythematous papular rash on the shins. Doxycycline is often sufficient; however, volume and potassium repletion may be necessary if renal involvement exists. Chromobacterium violaceum infection may occur after open skin is exposed to stagnant or muddy water. Cultured colonies produce a unique violacein pigment, and treatment typically consists of a carbapenem. Both typical and atypical fungal infections are increased in the flooding disaster scenario, such as dermatophytosis, chromoblastomycosis, blastomycosis, and mucormycosis. Appropriate antifungals should be used. In addition, land inundated with water expands the habitat for parasites and/or vectors, thus increased vigilance for regional parasitic infections is necessary after a flood. Lastly, noninfectious consequences of a flooding disaster are also common and include miliaria, immersion foot syndromes, irritant and allergic contact dermatitis, traumatic wounds and animal bites, and arthropod assault, as well as exacerbation of existing skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and alopecia areata due to increased stress or nonavailability of daily medications.

Trench foot: a relatively rare condition in tropical countries - a case report.

Trench foot is a relatively rare condition in tropical countries. We present here a case report of trench foot in a child who was put on hip spica for her hip ailment. Although rare, awareness on the part of the clinician can prevent this potentially serious condition and early diagnosis and treatment can prevent further consequences.

Cold weather issues in sideline and event management.

Exercise in cold environments exerts a unique physiologic stress on the human body, which, under certain conditions, may result in a cold-related injury. Environmental factors are the most important risk factors for the development of hypothermia in athletes. Frostbite occurs as a result of direct cold injury to peripheral tissues. The biggest risk for frostbite is temperature. Trench foot is a result of repeated and constant immersion in cold water. Chilblains are local erythematous or cyanotic skin lesions that develop at ambient air temperatures of 32°F to 60°F after an exposure time of about 1 to 5 h. Cold urticaria is, essentially, an allergic reaction to a cold exposure and can be controlled with avoidance of the cold. There are a number of risk factors and conditions that predispose athletes to cold injury, but exercise in the cold can be done safely with proper education and planning.

["Teruel feet". Care and treatment of frostbite wounds in the hospitals of Navarra during the civil war]. / "Los pies de Teruel". Asistencia y tratamiento de las heridas por congelación en los hospitales navarros durante la guerra civil.

The care of combatants with lesions caused by frostbite during the battle of Teruel, which was fought in extreme weather conditions and in temperatures as low as twenty degrees below zero, was the period of greatest medical activity and the highest rates of occupation in the military hospitals of Navarre during the civil war of 1936-1939. From November 1937 to March 1938, 375 cases of frostbite were registered in the provincial establishments, amongst which there was a predominance of cases of dry gangrene partially affecting the lower extremity, which was popularly known as "Teruel feet". Some of the medical staff, conscious of the exceptional nature of the casuistry, registered statistics, clinical cases and personal impressions of the evolution of the lesions and the effectiveness of the treatments. In treating this affectation they employed medicines, surgical techniques and novel therapeutic procedures that were not widely used in the medical milieu of the time. However, the limited duration of the problem, the inconclusive results of the treatments and the differing opinions on their effectiveness -questions that are considered in this article- restricted the subsequent medical repercussion of the experiences of frostbite developed during the wartime period in Teruel.

'Los pies de Teruel'. Asistencia y tratamiento de las heridas por congelación en los hospitales navarros durante la guerra civil / 'Teruel feet'. Care and treatment of frostbite wounds in the hospitals of Navarra during the civil war

La atención a combatientes con lesiones por congelación sufridas durante la batalla de Teruel, desarrollada en condiciones meteorológicas extremas y temperaturas de hasta veinte grados bajo cero, supuso la etapa de mayor actividad asistencial y tasas de ocupación más altas en los hospitales militares navarros durante toda la contienda civil de 1936-1939. De noviembre de 1937 a marzo de 1938 se registraron en los establecimientos de la provincia más de 375 casos de congelación, entre los que predominaban las gangrenas secas con afectación parcial de la extremidad inferior, lo que popularmente se denominó 'pies de Teruel'. Algunos facultativos, conscientes de la excepcionalidad de la casuística, registraron estadísticas, casos clínicos e impresiones personales sobre la evolución de las lesiones y la efectividad de sus tratamientos. En ellos, emplearon fármacos, técnicas quirúrgicas y procedimientos terapéuticos novedosos en el tratamiento de esta afección y poco difundidos en el entorno médico del momento. Sin embargo, la limitación temporal del problema, los resultados poco concluyentes de los tratamientos y las opiniones controvertidas sobre su efectividad, cuestiones que se analizan en este artículo, limitaron la repercusión médica posterior de las experiencias sobre congelaciones desarrolladas durante la etapa bélica turolense

The care of combatants with lesions caused by frostbite during the battle of Teruel, which was fought in extreme weather conditions and in temperatures as low as twenty degrees below zero, was the period of greatest medical activity and the highest rates of occupation in the military hospitals of Navarre during the civil war of 1936-1939. From November 1937 to March 1938, 375 cases of frostbite were registered in the provincial establishments, amongst which there was a predominance of cases of dry gangrene partially affecting the lower extremity, which was popularly known as 'Teruel feet'. Some of the medical staff, conscious of the exceptional nature of the casuistry, registered statistics, clinical cases and personal impressions of the evolution of the lesions and the effectiveness of the treatments. In treating this affectation they employed medicines, surgical techniques and novel therapeutic procedures that were not widely used in the medical milieu of the time. However, the limited duration of the problem, the inconclusive results of the treatments and the differing opinions on their effectiveness –questions that are considered in this article– restricted the subsequent medical repercussion of the experiences of frostbite developed during the wartime period in Teruel

Immersion foot. A problem of the homeless in the 1990s.

The syndrome of immersion foot is being seen with increasing frequency among the homeless population. It represents the effects of injury by water absorption in the stratum corneum of the skin of the feet. The taxonomy of this disorder is confusing and the many colorful pseudonyms should probably be dropped in favor of a simple classification based on the temperature of the water and the duration of exposure. When uncomplicated by infection or ischemic injury, immersion foot will quickly resolve with conservative measures only. More complicated cases may require antibiotics and surgical treatment. This syndrome may be exacerbated by disturbances of cognition, peripheral neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease, or the use of tobacco or vasoconstrictor drugs such as cocaine. A major contributing factor seems to be lack of shelter in the homeless population. Attention to foot care problems among the homeless and education concerning preventive measures are incumbent on physicians who care for the indigent.

Cold exposure injuries: prevention and treatment.

A variety of cold exposure injuries were discussed, including frostnip, chilblains, trench foot, frostbite, and hypothermia. The usual precipitating factors for each were discussed along with the clinical course, the pathophysiology, and management from the perspective of one being in the field or backcountry. Prevention is the key to all cold-related problems as adequate treatment is often not possible out of the hospital setting. Detailed recommendations were made for all conditions, relative to treatment and prevention, with special emphasis on hypothermia.

Pie de trinchera: revisión del tema y experiencia en Las Malvinas / Trench foot: general review and experience in Malvinas

Este trabajo reúne la experiencia del Hospitasl Militar de Puerto Argentino en lesiones por el frío ocurridas duerante el conflicto por las Malvinas, con 173 casos. Nuestras tropas fueron aferradas en posiciones defensivas en los pozos de zorro por el fuego de la artellería y aviación enemigas. Esto, sumado a las condiciones climáticas adversas, contribuyeron a la incidencia del pie de trincheria. Cerca del 90% de los casos ocurrieron en soldados. El pie de trinchera afectó principalemtne a los hombres de infantería, con el 67,7% (AU)

Pie de trinchera: revisión del tema y experiencia en Las Malvinas / Trench foot: general review and experience in Malvinas

Este trabajo reúne la experiencia del Hospitasl Militar de Puerto Argentino en lesiones por el frío ocurridas duerante el conflicto por las Malvinas, con 173 casos. Nuestras tropas fueron aferradas en posiciones defensivas en los pozos de zorro por el fuego de la artellería y aviación enemigas. Esto, sumado a las condiciones climáticas adversas, contribuyeron a la incidencia del pie de trincheria. Cerca del 90% de los casos ocurrieron en soldados. El pie de trinchera afectó principalemtne a los hombres de infantería, con el 67,7%

Cold injury: a collective review.

Cold injury remains a crippling problem. Although research is opening new avenues of accurate diagnosis and expeditious treatment, the gold standard against which these methods must be measured continues to be conservative treatment.