Cold wave: beware of frostbite in children

QMI agency

Wednesday, 3 January 2018 09:55

UPDATE
Wednesday, 3 January 2018 10:01

Look at this article

The bitter cold that has enveloped the Quebec actually increase the risk of frostbite in children, warn emergency workers of the hospital Sainte-Justine, in Montreal.

The small ones are more exposed than adults, because they are not able to protect themselves, says the medical officer of the emergency at the CHU Sainte-Justine, Dr. Antonio D’angelo. It is up to the parents to ensure that the ends and the skin of their children are well covered and dry when they are exposed to cold, maintains the doctor.

Moreover, the children, when they play, are less attentive to their body’s signals.

And toddlers, who do not move much and are often trapped in their strollers, “will necessarily be more exposed,” he said in an interview with LCN on Wednesday morning.

“When they are very young, they can’t tell us,” explains Dr. D’angelo. They may be a little more “chigneux” or [will] cry. It should be on the lookout, in a period of great cold, if you expose them.”

Adults must pay special attention to the boots. “A part like the foot, which is exposed to the cold and water, is at risk of frostbite,” says the doctor.

In times of great cold, he suggests simply limiting the exposure to the cold to prevent frostbite and hypothermia.

What to do in case of frostbite?

We talk about frostbite on the hands, feet or exposed skin when the skin becomes cold and discolored.

In this case, you must try to warm the affected part in a bath of warm water, not hot. Avoid rubbing the skin, already potentially damaged, in order not to aggravate the situation. It is also necessary to ensure that it does not réexposer cold.

If a blister of water that looks like a burn appeared, one must cover and apply antibiotic ointment, like Polysporin, explains the emergency.

If a finger full is affected, if there are blisters all around its circumference, one must go to the emergency room.