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Hennepin Healthcare physician warns about dangers of frostbite

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Published  January 4, 2025 7:21pm CST
Winter Weather
FOX 9

MN health officials warn about frost bite

Health officials at Hennepin Healthcare warn about frostbite and hypothermia. FOX 9's Babs Santos has the latest.

The Brief

    • With dangerously cold weather upon us this week, physicians in Minneapolis will be more busy than normal treating patients with frost bite.
    • Over the course of any artic blast, they expect at least a "couple dozen" hospital visits.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - After a decade of treating patients, Dr. Thomas Masters is all too familiar with the damage that Mother Nature can create in just a few minutes.

"The more precautions you take, the longer you have [outdoors], but if you’re in inappropriate attire, you can get damage in minutes," Dr. Masters explained.

Over the course of any artic blast, he expects at least a "couple dozen" hospital visits.

"We expect a busy week ahead," Dr. Masters said on Saturday. "We’ve already seen a few patients come in with concerns for frostbite [and] cold exposure injury."

In those situations, Dr. Masters says it’s all about listening to your body when you are in pain, warming any frozen limbs, and if the pain persists, getting in to see a specialist as quickly as possible.

"We’ll be pretty busy here in the next few days seeing individuals afflicted with frostbite," he finished.

The Source

  • Hennepin Healthcare is home to Minnesota’s only emergency hyperbaric department.

Winter WeatherHennepin County