Several football fans who suffered from frostbite at a frigid Kansas City Chiefs playoff game in January may need amputations. During the wild-card playoff game against the Miami Dolphins in Kansas City, the temperature dropped to minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wind gusts also reached up to 27 mph, resulting in a bone-chilling wind chill of minus-27 degrees. This game marked the fourth coldest in NFL history and the coldest ever for the Chiefs franchise.
The day following the game, a spokesperson from the Kansas City Fire Department reported that around half of the 69 calls they handled during the event were related to hypothermia. Three individuals were taken for frostbite treatment. However, the authorities could not confirm the number of people who received care.
Dr. Megan Garcia, the medical director at the Grossman Burn Center at Research Medical Center, has provided insight into the enduring effects that certain football fans are facing.
One Chiefs Fan Reportedly Got Frostbite After Removing Their Gloves for Just Five Minutes
Dr. Garcia attended the second annual reunion at Research Medical Center, where burn survivors gathered on Tuesday evening. However, the burn center is now addressing injuries caused by significantly different weather conditions.
“People think of burns, they think of fire, they think of hot thermal injuries. But burns can happen from many different causes,” Garcia told Kansas City’s Fox 4. In January, Dr. Garcia told the outlet that she had treated numerous cases of frostbite this season. Among those affected were Chiefs fans who had braved the chilly weather to attend the playoff game against the Dolphins.
HCA Midwest Health posted pictures of a fan’s hand. The fan briefly removed his gloves for five minutes to set up a tent outside Arrowhead Stadium. “The patients who had their frostbite injuries along with the Chiefs game, they are just getting to the point now we are starting to discuss their amputations that might be necessary,” Dr. Garcia said Tuesday.
She elaborated that 70% of the patients with frostbite injuries earlier this year are now recommended to arrange for amputations. About 30% of people who avoid amputation after receiving treatment in hyperbaric oxygen chambers will still have many reminders of their frostbite injuries. “It’s still a lifelong process. They’ll have sensitivity and pain for the rest of their lives. [They] always will be more susceptible to frostbite in the future. So we are also educating them to make sure they stay warm for the years and months to come,” Garcia explained.