Norman Alejandro Rendon Mejia , Luisa Fernanda Cuervo Ollervides , Laura Elizabeth Piñon Gaytan , Jose Francisco De la Torre Ramos , Alejandra Aguirre Aguilar , Carlos Alan Benitez Membrila
{"title":"四度冻伤合并坏死性筋膜炎的墨西哥土著患者:双侧膝下截肢和组织抢救的伦理挑战的病例报告","authors":"Norman Alejandro Rendon Mejia , Luisa Fernanda Cuervo Ollervides , Laura Elizabeth Piñon Gaytan , Jose Francisco De la Torre Ramos , Alejandra Aguirre Aguilar , Carlos Alan Benitez Membrila","doi":"10.1016/j.burnso.2025.100414","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Frostbite, a debilitating injury caused by freezing temperatures, disproportionately affects marginalized populations, yet data from non-circumpolar regions remain critically underrepresented. We present the first documented case in Mexico of severe frostbite requiring bilateral below-knee amputation in a 26-year-old Indigenous man discovered unconscious with alcohol intoxication in subfreezing conditions. Clinical assessment revealed fourth-degree frostbite manifesting as dry necrosis, absent distal pulses, and purulent vesicles. Computed tomography angiography demonstrated popliteal artery occlusion and subfascial gas, confirming concurrent necrotizing fasciitis. Emergency bilateral amputation with fasciocutaneous flap reconstruction resulted in an uncomplicated recovery, enabling discharge on postoperative day 6 for multidisciplinary rehabilitation. This case underscores the ethical complexity of prioritizing limb salvage versus infection mitigation in resource-limited settings and advocates for context-specific, dynamic frostbite management guidelines. Furthermore, frostbite emerges as a sentinel of systemic inequity, reflecting social determinants such as inadequate access to cold-weather protection, alcohol misuse, and healthcare disparities. Culturally tailored prevention strategies—including multilingual community education and equitable healthcare infrastructure—are imperative. As climate change intensifies extreme weather events, frostbite management must evolve beyond acute interventions to address structural vulnerabilities, integrating public health and policy reforms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72486,"journal":{"name":"Burns open : an international open access journal for burn injuries","volume":"11 ","pages":"Article 100414"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Fourth-degree frostbite complicated by necrotizing fasciitis in an indigenous Mexican patient: bilateral below-knee amputation and ethical challenges in tissue salvage a case report\",\"authors\":\"Norman Alejandro Rendon Mejia , Luisa Fernanda Cuervo Ollervides , Laura Elizabeth Piñon Gaytan , Jose Francisco De la Torre Ramos , Alejandra Aguirre Aguilar , Carlos Alan Benitez Membrila\",\"doi\":\"10.1016/j.burnso.2025.100414\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><div>Frostbite, a debilitating injury caused by freezing temperatures, disproportionately affects marginalized populations, yet data from non-circumpolar regions remain critically underrepresented. We present the first documented case in Mexico of severe frostbite requiring bilateral below-knee amputation in a 26-year-old Indigenous man discovered unconscious with alcohol intoxication in subfreezing conditions. Clinical assessment revealed fourth-degree frostbite manifesting as dry necrosis, absent distal pulses, and purulent vesicles. Computed tomography angiography demonstrated popliteal artery occlusion and subfascial gas, confirming concurrent necrotizing fasciitis. Emergency bilateral amputation with fasciocutaneous flap reconstruction resulted in an uncomplicated recovery, enabling discharge on postoperative day 6 for multidisciplinary rehabilitation. This case underscores the ethical complexity of prioritizing limb salvage versus infection mitigation in resource-limited settings and advocates for context-specific, dynamic frostbite management guidelines. Furthermore, frostbite emerges as a sentinel of systemic inequity, reflecting social determinants such as inadequate access to cold-weather protection, alcohol misuse, and healthcare disparities. Culturally tailored prevention strategies—including multilingual community education and equitable healthcare infrastructure—are imperative. As climate change intensifies extreme weather events, frostbite management must evolve beyond acute interventions to address structural vulnerabilities, integrating public health and policy reforms.</div></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":72486,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Burns open : an international open access journal for burn injuries\",\"volume\":\"11 \",\"pages\":\"Article 100414\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":0.0000,\"publicationDate\":\"2025-06-11\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Burns open : an international open access journal for burn injuries\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"1085\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468912225000227\",\"RegionNum\":0,\"RegionCategory\":null,\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q3\",\"JCRName\":\"Medicine\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Burns open : an international open access journal for burn injuries","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468912225000227","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
Fourth-degree frostbite complicated by necrotizing fasciitis in an indigenous Mexican patient: bilateral below-knee amputation and ethical challenges in tissue salvage a case report
Frostbite, a debilitating injury caused by freezing temperatures, disproportionately affects marginalized populations, yet data from non-circumpolar regions remain critically underrepresented. We present the first documented case in Mexico of severe frostbite requiring bilateral below-knee amputation in a 26-year-old Indigenous man discovered unconscious with alcohol intoxication in subfreezing conditions. Clinical assessment revealed fourth-degree frostbite manifesting as dry necrosis, absent distal pulses, and purulent vesicles. Computed tomography angiography demonstrated popliteal artery occlusion and subfascial gas, confirming concurrent necrotizing fasciitis. Emergency bilateral amputation with fasciocutaneous flap reconstruction resulted in an uncomplicated recovery, enabling discharge on postoperative day 6 for multidisciplinary rehabilitation. This case underscores the ethical complexity of prioritizing limb salvage versus infection mitigation in resource-limited settings and advocates for context-specific, dynamic frostbite management guidelines. Furthermore, frostbite emerges as a sentinel of systemic inequity, reflecting social determinants such as inadequate access to cold-weather protection, alcohol misuse, and healthcare disparities. Culturally tailored prevention strategies—including multilingual community education and equitable healthcare infrastructure—are imperative. As climate change intensifies extreme weather events, frostbite management must evolve beyond acute interventions to address structural vulnerabilities, integrating public health and policy reforms.