LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the signs, symptoms, and emergency treatment of each type of cold exposure injury.

When the body is subjected to extremely cold temperatures, blood vessels constrict, and body heat is gradually lost. As the body temperature drops, tissues are easily damaged or destroyed.

The cold injuries resulting from inadequate response to the cold in military situations have spelled disaster for many armies those of Napoleon and Hitler in their Russian campaigns, for example. The weather (i.e., temperature, humidity, precipitation, and wind) is the predominant influence in the development of cold injuries. Falling temperature interacting with high humidity, a wet environment, and rising wind accelerates the loss of body heat.

Other factors that influence the development of cold injuries are the individual's level of dehydration, the presence of other injuries (especially those causing a reduction in circulatory flow), and a previous cold injury (which increases susceptibility by lowering resistance). In addition, the use of any drug (including alcohol) that modifies autonomic nervous system response or alters judgment ability can drastically reduce an individual's chance for survival in a cold environment.

Like heat exposure injuries, cold exposure injuries are preventable. Acclimatization, the availability of warm, layered clothing, and maintenance of good discipline and training standards are important factors. These are Command not medical responsibilities, but the Corpsman plays a crucial role as a monitor of nutritional intake and personal hygiene (with emphasis on foot care) and as an advisor to the commanding officer. ACorpsman is also responsible for acquainting the troops with the dangers of cold exposure and with preventive measures.

Two major points must be stressed in the management of all cold injuries: Rapid rewarming is of primary importance, and all unnecessary manipulations of affected areas must be avoided. More will be said about these points later.

In military operations the treatment of cold injuries is influenced by the tactical situation, the facilities available for the evacuation of casualties, and the fact that most cold injuries are encountered in large numbers during periods of intense combat when many other wounded casualties appear. Highly individualized treatment under these circumstances may be impossible because examination and treatment of more life-endangering wounds must be given priority. In a high-casualty situation, shelter cold-injury victims, and try to protect them from further injury until there is sufficient time to treat them.

All cold injuries are similar, varying only in the degree of tissue damage. Although the effects of cold can, in general, be divided into two types-general cooling of the entire body and local cooling of parts of the Body cold injuries are seldom strictly of one type or the other; rather, these injuries tend to be a combination of both types. Each type of cooling, however, will be discussed separately in the sections that follow.