Frostbitten Kansas City Chiefs fans need amputations after record-cold playoff game: doctor

NFL

With Nicholas McEntyre

Some Kansas City Chiefs fans who attended one of the coldest NFL games on record in January are said to be planning amputations after being hospitalized for frostbite.

Seventy percent of frostbite patients received by the Grossman Burn Center at the Medical Research Center in Kansas City, Missouri, since January have been advised to undergo the life-changing procedure.

Many of the patients were among the brave fans who braved the elements at Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Chiefs' 26-9 wild-card victory over the Dolphins on the weekend of Jan. 13.

“Patients who had frostbite injuries along with the Chiefs game are just getting to the point now that we're starting to discuss what amputations they may need,” said Dr. Megan Garcia, director of the burn center. he told FOX 4 KC.

One fan, who took off only his gloves 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, photos shared by HCA Midwest Health with the outlet show.

30 percent of patients discussing amputations were treated in recent weeks in hyperbaric oxygen tanks.

These people, while keeping their fingers and toes, will still have long-term effects from the cold.

“It's still a lifelong process. They will have sensitivity and pain for the rest of their lives and will always be more vulnerable to frostbite in the future,” Garcia said. “So we're also training them to make sure they stay warm for years and months to come.”

The Jan. 13 game was the fourth-coldest game in league history and the coldest temperatures recorded at Arrowhead Stadium since it opened in 1972, as 70,000 fans packed the stands to watch the start of the Chiefs' Super Bowl push.

On-field thermostats read a chilling minus-4 degrees at kickoff and dropped as low as eight during the game.

The minus-27 wind chill also marked the third-coldest bitter cold start in NFL history, according to the Chiefs.

The Kansas City Fire Department transported 15 people from the field to the hospital, seven with hypothermia and three with frostbite. according to KMBC.com.

The number does not include fans who sought medical attention on the field or those who made visits to local hospitals after the game.

Grossman Burn Center revealed the information during a burn survivor reunion at the medical center on Tuesday.

“People think about burns, fire, heat injuries. But burns can be caused by many different causes,” added Garcia.

At the time Garcia predicted the number of amputations her burn unit would see in the late winter to early spring would be in the double digits.

“In just this cold weather we're going through, I've seen a lot of patients who will probably need an amputation five to six weeks from now. I imagine it will be somewhere between 10 and 20 at this point.” he told WDAF in January.

Among the fans at the playoff game was Taylor Swift who was in attendance to watch boyfriend Travis Kelce's team win.

The 34-year-old pop star was bundled up in a No 87 jacket designed by Kristin Juszczykwife of 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk and a winter hat, sitting inside one of the stadium suites.