Case history
Case history #1
A 55-year-old homeless man with alcohol dependency presents to the emergency department in January after a fall. The mildly hypothermic patient states that he slept the entire night in the open in unusually cold weather. He awoke to find that he could not feel his feet, and when he tried to walk, he fell. During rewarming in the emergency department, the patient describes intense pain in both feet. He has clear blisters on the tips of his toes.
Case history #2
A 20-year-old amateur mountaineer is brought to the emergency department for evaluation after being airlifted off a mountain. She was with a group attempting a summit and got lost in a snowstorm. She did not have adequate food, clothing, or shelter and was discovered after 2 days of exposure by rescuers. The patient states that she has lost sensation in her hands and feet and has painful areas of skin and blood-filled blisters on her nose, ears, and cheeks.
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