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Some fans underwent amputations after freezing Chiefs playoff game, Missouri hospital confirms
March 13, 2024

Research Medical Center in Kansas City didn’t release exact numbers but said in a statement that it treated dozens of people with frostbite during an 11-day cold snap in January. Twelve of them—including some who attended the Jan. 13 NFL game—underwent amputations involving mostly fingers and toes. As “injuries evolve,” the hospital said more surgeries are expected over the coming weeks. (Hollingsworth & Melendrez, 2024)
The temperature for the Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game was minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 Celsius), with a windchill of minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 33 C). Fans could bring heated blankets into the stadium and small pieces of cardboard to place under their feet.
The medical director of the hospital's burn center, Dr. Megan Garcia, said that the Chiefs fans who came in with frostbite injuries had to schedule amputation surgeries after weeks of hospital treatment. Treatment involved rewarming the injured areas, applying antibiotics and thrombolytic therapy to dissolve blood clots and restore circulation, and undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy to increase oxygen in injured areas to reduce swelling. (Schmall, 2024)
Sources:
Hollingsworth, H. & Melendrez, A. (2024, March 10). The Associated Press. Some fans at frigid Chiefs playoff game underwent amputations, hospital confirms. https://apnews.com/article/chiefs-dolphins-fans-frostbite-amputations-arrowhead-stadium-6c46520e3c2ed0adcb8014c03be731c7
Schmall, E. (2024, March 10). The New York Times. Frostbitten Kansas City Fans Needed Amputations After Frigid Game
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/09/us/chiefs-game-frostbite-amputations.html
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