[Frostbites: cold-freezing injuries due to a biting cold]. / Les gelures, des lésions locales liées à un froid mordant.

Frostbites are cold-freezing injuries of the extremities due to the exposure to temperatures below 0°C. The risk, in the absence of treatment, is the amputation of frostbitten areas which become gangrenous. Victims of frostbite must be treated and evacuated urgently. Nurses play an active role in the secondary long-term treatment.

Nursing a patient with frostbite.

Frostbite is a condition that is associated with people living in countries with an extremely cold climate. However, it can affect people in the UK who are involved in winter sports, and is also associated with the homeless, people with a psychiatric illness, and those who misuse drugs and alcohol. Angela Davies describes the assessment and management of a patient with frostbite and identifies the challenges of managing these complex tissue injuries

Responding to winter emergencies.

Nurses need to know how to provide emergency care to victims of wintertime injuries and illnesses--and how to survive such circumstances themselves. In this article, the author, a ski patrol member, describes cold-weather strategies and how to respond to hypothermia, frostbite, winter sports injuries, and avalanches.