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DIRE CONSEQUENCES
‘They need amputations’, say doctors after Chiefs fans develop frostbite and ‘life-changing injuries’ at playoff game
The historic playoff win had lifelong consequences for some fans
FOR some Kansas City Chiefs fans, witnessing their wildcard win against the Miami Dolphins in January has cost them dearly.
On January 13, Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri filled with over 71,000 fans, despite the temperature plummeting to -27 with wind chill come kickoff.
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The coldest game in Chiefs history left some fans with injuries that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Grossman Burn Center Medical Director, Dr. Megan Garcia, told a local that they received dozens of patients suffering from frostbite in January - many of whom had been at the Chiefs' 2-7 win on the 13th.
Now two months on, around 70 percent of those fans have been advised to schedule amputations, as per .
One such fan took their gloves off for just five minutes while putting up a tent at the tailgate.
"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," Dr. Garcia said.
Thankfully for around 30 percent of those affected, a few weeks in a hyperbaric oxygen tank has meant that they will avoid amputations.
But despite this, their injuries will still last a lifetime.
"It's still a lifelong process," Dr. Garcia said.
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"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."
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Not that it was just frostbite that affected fans.
Following the game, it was revealed that seven people had been transported to an area hospital suffering from hypothermia, as per a Kansas City Fire Department spokesperson, via .
And, of course, it wasn't just fans who had to deal with the adverse conditions.
"I was cold as f**k," Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, whose partner Taylor Swift was also in attendance at the game in a private suite, said on his podcast.
He went on to explain to his co-host and brother Jason, "You could feel it in your hands, you could feel it in your toes, your face, everyone saw coach [Andy] Reid's (frozen) stache.
"I could feel my mustache hardening up. It was shocking how cold it was.
"That was probably the first game I had ever caught myself, even during a drive, if I got taken out for a play, like running over to the heaters to warm up my hands and my feet to try and get feeling back.
"It was that freaking cold."
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In an attempt to combat the cold, Kelce said some players used hand warmers in their pockets and shoes.
Unfortunately, this backfired for one unnamed Chiefs player who suffered "Golf [ball] sized blisters on the top of his feet."
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