Patients who suffered frostbite injuries with the Chiefs game "getting to the point now we are starting to discuss their amputations”

Dr. Megan Garcia, Medical Director of the Grossman Burn Center at Research Medical in Kansas City, Missouri, recently stated that 70% of patients who have been referred to her center for frostbite now need amputations. Many of these patients attended the Kansas City Chiefs playoff game against the Miami Dolphins at Arrowhead Stadium on January 13, 2024. The Athletic explains:

That contest began with a temperature of minus-4 at kickoff and a windchill that dipped to minus-27, making it one of the four coldest games in NFL history.

Frostbite occurs when skin freezes, thus limiting blood flow to the tissues in that area. While mild frostbite, often referred to as frostnip, does not cause permanent damage, severe frostbite can lead to permanent damage and almost always requires amputation.