Edmonton EMS crews see increase in cold exposure calls
CBC News | Posted: February 6, 2019 2:30 PM | Last Updated: February 6, 2019
Hypothermia was a contributing factor in 36 deaths in Alberta in 2018
Edmonton EMS workers responded to seven cold exposure calls between Monday morning and late Tuesday afternoon, Alberta Health Services says.
That's more than three times the number of such calls they would see on a pair of typical winter days.
One man arrived at the Bissell Centre early Tuesday morning with extreme frostbite, having spent the two previous nights sleeping out in the cold, according to staff.
The man's hands were bloated and his feet were blistered black, said communications manager Devin Komarniski.
The man was transported to hospital.
What is frostbite?
In extreme cold, blood vessels nearest the skin constrict and blood flow to the hands and feet and the nose slows. And that's when frostbite can set in.
In some cases, cold weather can be deadly. Hypothermia was a contributing factor in 36 deaths in Alberta in 2018, the most in the past five years, according to the office of the chief medical examiner.
"Every year, our health centre loses clients to hypothermic exposure," said Dr. Francesco Mosaico, medical director at Boyle McCauley Health Centre, an inner-city health agency.
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When frostbite sets in, muscles and skin start to die from a lack of oxygen transported in the blood vessels, said Mosaico.
Nerve damage leads to numb hands and feet. If the damage is mild, the skin might appear yellow or white. Severe frostbite can kill tissue, leading to bluish-black blisters.
How to treat frostbite
A hot bath or space heater may seem the quickest and most convenient solution, but that does more harm than good, Mosaico said. Damaged nerves won't be able to tell the brain if the skin overheats or burns.
"You look for a more gradual reheating of the affected part of your body," Mosaico said. "Usually immersion in lukewarm water to slowly raise the temperature of the skin. It can be very painful as well."
Damaged skin can take several months to heal.
The risk of severe frostbite gets worse as extreme cold weather persists. What starts as numbness can, over time, develop into permanent nerve and tissue damage, with the risk of amputation if not given the chance to fully recover.
That's why the risk of frostbite is much higher for people sleeping outdoors, Mosaico said.
"The injury compounds and they get repeated exposure, or sometimes it just happens all in one night," he said.
How to prevent it
Aidan Conrad has had runs ins with frostbite. An avid cross-country skier, he said in his younger days he was less careful about the layers and materials he wore to protect against the cold.
"A couple close calls have slowly made my toes a little more desensitized to feeling that frostbite onset," he said.
A staffer at Mountain Equipment Co-op, Conrad said layers are a key way to avoid frostbite. Merino wool makes for a great base layer, he said, since it can absorb lots of moisture without compromising insulation. Synthetic fleece is often less expensive, but can provide similar benefits.
Cotton will absorb lots of moisture while releasing heat, a terrible combination in the cold weather, Conrad said.
"What you definitely don't want on a cold day like today is perspiration, because as soon as you stop moving that perspiration will freeze and make you even colder," he said.
Heavy socks, gloves and scarves are all important to help protect the most vulnerable parts of the body from frostbite.
The risk of frostbite is also elevated for young children.
Dr. Raj Bhardwaj, a family physician and urgent care doctor in Calgary, said a child generally needs one more layer than the typical adult.
Bhardwaj advised people to keep extra clothes in the car during a drive, in case of an emergency.
"They could be a life saving thing," he told CBC's Calgary Eyeopener radio show on Tuesday morning.
The Bissell Centre is asking for cold weather clothing donations. Staff said they were out of gloves as of Tuesday afternoon.