Some fans need amputations for frostbite from Chiefs-Dolphins game
Most fans who were referred to a Missouri burn center after suffering frostbite injuries during the wild-card playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins are now facing amputations.
Dr. Megan Garcia, the medical director at the Grossman Burn Center at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, told FOX4's Dave D'Marko that 70% of people who were referred to the center for frostbite treatment have now been advised to schedule amputations. The patients who aren't facing amputation still have to deal with lingering effects.
"It's still a lifelong process. They'll have sensitivity and pain for the rest of their lives and always will be more susceptible to frostbite in the future," Garcia said. "So we are also educating them to make sure they stay warm for the years and months to come."
The Jan. 13 game at Arrowhead Stadium was one of the coldest in NFL history, with temperatures reaching minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-20 degrees Celsius) at kickoff with a windchill of minus-27 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-33 degrees Celsius).
The Kansas City Fire Department said it received 69 calls from inside the stadium and the parking lot during the game, half of which were hypothermia related.
The Chiefs defeated the Dolphins 26-7 en route to capturing their second straight Super Bowl championship.