| |
frostbite
(frostĀ“bīt)
injury to tissues due to exposure to cold. Usually the first areas of the body to freeze are the nose, ears, fingers, and toes, and the flesh feels cold to the touch
and then numb. Authorities distinguish four degrees or types, ranging from type one (a shallow, blanched wheal that may remain reddened for several hours after rewarming) to type four (destruction of soft tissue so that the frostbitten
area becomes hard and wooden, develops gangrene, and will have to be amputated).

Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
Click here for important legal information about Dorland's Medical Dictionary.
|