Overview of cold injury

[Luis Fok]

Exposure to cold may cause decreased body temperature (hypothermia) and focal soft-tissue injury.

Tissue injury without freezing includes frostnip, immersion foot, and chilblains.
Tissue injury with freezing is frostbite.

Treatment is rewarming and selective, usually delayed, surgical treatment for injured tissues.
Susceptibility to all cold injury is increased by exhaustion, undernutrition, dehydration, hypoxia, impaired cardiovascular function, and contact with moisture or metal.