title: Coffee, tea, or frostbite? A case report of inflight freezing hazard from dry ice.
abstract: Occupational and recreational cold exposure is fairly well described in the literature. This is a case report of a passenger on a commercial airline flight who suffered third degree frostbile due to the attempted therapeutic use of a cold pack. This cold pack was offered by the flight attendant and consisted of a section of dry ice used for cooling in the galley. The resulting injury consisted of a full thickness cold injury of the left lumbar amounting to approximately 1.5% TBSA (total body surface area). The occurrence of third degree frostbite due to a medicinally used ice pack such as this has not been noted in the past writings. The resulting injury, care and outcome of such an injury are described and discussed.
authors.affiliation: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Service, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: W B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Gamble
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Bonnecarre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D001416:Back Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D004367:Dry Ice / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005627:Frostbite / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D004367:Dry Ice