Frostbite fallout: analyzing cold burn injuries from the February 2023 twin earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, Turkey

Background: Despite being rare in earthquakes with high morbidity rates, cold injuries to the extremities can progress to a wide variety of symptoms ranging from pain and loss of sensation to extremity necrosis and amputation. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the location and depth of cold burns on the extremities of cases rescued from the rubble following the sequential earthquakes in Türkiye on 06 February 2023. Cases of earthquake victims presenting to the emergency department and orthopedic outpatient clinic one month after the earthquake were investigated for the times of extraction from the rubble, age, gender, cold burns on the extremities, initial presentation sites of patients, and treatment protocols. Results: Of the total 17 patients in the study, 11 were male and 6 were female. The earliest extraction time from the rubble was observed to be 49 hours, while the latest was 119 hours. Examination of the regions affected by patients’ cold burns revealed that the upper extremity was the most affected region. Superficial cold burns were observed in 58.80% of patients, while deep cold burns were observed in 41.20%. Conclusions: Early heating, treatment and wound care for earthquake victims after disasters can prevent potential cold burns and frostbite.

Earthquake; Cold injury; Frostbite; Extremity; Frozen

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