Some Kansas City Chiefs fans who attended one of the coldest NFL games on record in January are now being recommended to schedule amputations after their hospitalizations for frostbite.
Seventy percent of frostbite patients that the Grossman Burn Center at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri received since January are being advised to undergo the life-altering procedure.
Many of the patients were fans who braved the elements at Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Chiefs’ 26-9 wild-card weekend victory over the Dolphins on Jan. 13.
Dr. Megan Garcia director of the burn center said, “The patients who had their frostbite injuries along with the Chiefs game, they are just getting to the point now we are starting to discuss their amputations that might be necessary.”
One fan, who only took their gloves off for five minutes to set up a tent in the parking lot, was left with red fingertips that have since turned dark blue and purple.
The 30 percent of patients who are in discussion of amputations have been undergoing treatment over the past weeks in hyperbaric oxygen tanks.
Those individuals, while they keep their fingers and toes, will still have long-lasting effects from the cold.
**The Jan. 13 game was the fourth coldest game in league history and the lowest temperatures recorded at Arrowhead Stadium since its opening in 1972, as 70,000 fans packed the stands to watch the beginning of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl push.
Thermostats on the field displayed a bone-chilling minus-4 degrees at kickoff and fell as low as eight below during the game.
