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CASE REPORT
Successful conservative treatment of severe frostbite lesions in a Greenlandic Inuit
  1. Martin Ekdahl,
  2. Luit Penninga
  1. Ilulissat Hospital, Ilulissat, Greenland
  1. Correspondence to Dr Luit Penninga, Luitpenninga{at}hotmail.com

Summary

Frostbite may cause lesions. The severity ranges from superficial wounds to severe cases with loss of limbs and tissue. Hence, proper treatment is of utmost importance. We present a case of an 18-year-old man from Arctic Greenland who was admitted with severe frostbite lesions involving both hands. The patient had fallen asleep outside during extreme temperatures. He was treated conservatively with proper wound care, antibiotics and intensive physical therapy. The patient made a full recovery without sequelae. The current report emphasises that non-operative treatment should be attempted for frostbite lesions, as conservative treatment often results in good outcomes.

  • trauma
  • plastic and reconstructive surgery
  • vascular surgery
  • accidents
  • injuries

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Footnotes

  • Contributors All authors contributed to the manuscript according to the Vancouver criteria. MKWE and LP had the idea. MKWE collected information and prepared the manuscript. LP revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Patient consent Obtained.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.