Field Sanitation - ATP 4-25.12 - Chapter 8

Question 1

What is a cold injury?

Answer 1

A tissue injury by exposure to cold

Question 2

What is the bodies normal response to the cold?

Answer 2

To constrict blood vessels in the skin and extremities

Question 3

What are the 3 main factors involved in cold injuries?

Answer 3

Agent, environmental, and host

Question 4

What are agent factors?

Answer 4

Cold is the specific agent in cold injury and the immediate cause of tissue damage

Question 5

What host factors influence an individual’s exposure to cold environments?

Answer 5

Age, rank, previous cold injury fatigue, training & experience, gender, race, and geographic origin.

Question 6

What are the types of cold and wet injuries (nonfreezing)?

Answer 6

Hypothermia (all classifications), Chilblains, and trench foot (IS),

Question 7

What are chilblains?

Answer 7

nonfreezing, occurs 1-5 hours in cold-wet cond., temp -50 degrees F but above freezing

Question 8

What nonfreezing injury can occur between 32 - 60 degrees F if tissue is exposed to cold-wet conditions for over 12 hours?

Answer 8

Trench foot (immersion syndrome)

Question 9

What are freezing injuries?

Answer 9

Frostbite (all 4 degrees)

Question 10

Briefly describe the 4 degrees of frostbite?

Answer 10

1st- superficial, short duration exposure
2nd- epidermis & superficial, skin appears gray, blisters appear in 12-24 hrs
3rd- freezing of full skin thickness, blood filled blisters. Black, hard, dry skin. shooting pain from 5 days to 5 weeks.
4th- skin and underlying tissue is frozen, may include bone, some tissue damage is irreversible.

Question 11

What other cond. are associated with cold injuries?

Answer 11

Dehydration and Carbon monoxide poisoning.

Question 12

What are prevention measures against cold weather injuries?

Answer 12

Covering exposed skin, wearing layered clothing, avoiding wet skin, utilize the buddy system, wash and dry feet, consuming 4500 Kcal per day per Soldier, drink 3-6 qrts of water.

Question 13

What are windchill factors?

Answer 13

Temperature and wind speed

Question 14

What are the critical values for personnel and equipment in cold and hot weather?

Answer 14

Cold: -26 degrees F
Hot: 120 degrees F

Question 15

What is the critical wet bulb globe temp. index?

Answer 15

90 degrees C

Question 16

what do the terms: little danger, increasing danger, and great danger refer to in the windchill chart?

Answer 16

little danger: greatest danger from false sense of security
Increasing danger: exposed flesh can freeze within 1 min
Great danger: exposed flesh may freeze within 30 sec

Question 17

What cold injury controls can the commander implement?

Answer 17

ensure soldiers have cold weather clothing on hand and serviceable, inspect S for personal hygiene and foot care, observe for early signs of injury, ensure socks get changed out appropriately.