Some Kansas City Chiefs fans have been told to schedule amputations after they suffered frostbite at the Jan. 13 playoff game between the Chiefs and the visiting Miami Dolphins, a doctor treating the patients told Fox4 on Wednesday. (Watch the video below.)
The victims endured temperatures that plunged below zero in the Chiefs’ 26-7 victory at home en route to their eventual Super Bowl title. Three spectators were hospitalized for frostbite in windchills measured at -27 degrees Fahrenheit, KSHB reported.
The extreme cold snap in the area generated at least 11 cases of frostbite, and one victim died, according to the Kansas City Star.
Dr. Megan Garcia, the Grossman Burn Center medical director, said 70% of the patients admitted for frostbite during the extreme January cold have been advised to undergo amputation.
“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 told Fox4.
She said the other 30% will still be dealing with a “lifelong” problem. “They’ll have sensitivity and pain for the rest of their lives and always will be more susceptible to frostbite in the future,” she added. “So we are also educating them to make sure they stay warm for the years and months to come.”
CNN reported that the Chiefs’ game, considered one of the coldest in NFL history, had at least one expert urging the NFL to rethink its weather policies.