Roughly 70 percent of the fans referred to a Kansas City burn center for treatment for frostbite following the Dolphins-Chiefs playoff game in January, now require amputations.
That grim news comes from the director of the Grossman Burn Center at Research Medical Center, Dr. Megan Garcia.
“People think of burns, they think of fire, they think of hot thermal injuries. But burns can happen from many different causes,” Garcia explained.
The Chiefs-dolphins playoff game on January 13th was the fourth coldest game in NFL history. Official temps registered at -4 degrees. However, the windchill was -27.
Fans cheer with Bud Light during an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 13, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
“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,” Garcia said.
Garcia says that even 30% of patients who are not advised to undergo amputation will have lifelong implications from the bitter cold.
“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. So we are also educating them to make sure they stay warm for the years and months to come,” Garcia said.
NFL fans cheer in the stands before an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 13, 2024, in Kansas City, Missouri. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)
Garcia says the total number of amputees from the game could vary.
“In just this cold spell we’ve been having, I’ve seen multiple patients that will likely require amputation five to six weeks from now,” Garcia told Fox 4 in January. “I imagine it’ll be somewhere between 10 and 20 at this point.”