Dangerously cold temperatures at Chiefs game leads to several hospitalizations: Officials

Several people were taken to hospitals after attending Saturday's NFL wildcard playoff game in Kansas City between the Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins in dangerously cold temperatures.

Temperatures were minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit at kickoff Saturday evening, with a windchill of minus 27 F, making it one of the coldest games played in NFL history, according to the Chiefs Communication Department.

A Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD) spokesperson told ABC News that the agency received 69 calls from both inside Arrowhead Stadium and from the parking lot, with half of them hypothermia-related.

"We set up four field aid stations throughout the parking lot and…either someone flagged us down or we were sent by our operations to locate those individuals in their seats," the spokesperson said.

KCFD said some patients were evaluated and treated on-site, while 15 people were taken to hospitals in the area with at least seven treated for hypothermia symptoms and three for frostbite symptoms.

According to local ABC News affiliate KMBC, the number of hospitalizations does not include people who were walk-ins at various University of Kansas Heath System locations, or who visited first aid stations at Arrowhead manned by EMTs and hospital staff.

A University of Kansas Health System spokesperson told ABC News that their staff is still collecting numbers on those who visited aid stations, or who visited the ER and burn unit for frostbite.

Hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposure to extremely cold temperatures. The body begins to lose heat faster than it is produced, resulting in a lower than normal body temperature, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Warning signs include shivering, tiredness, confusion, drowsiness, memory loss, slurred speech, and fumbling hands, according to the federal health agency.

Treatment for hypothermia includes raising the body temperature by using warm, dry compresses, electric blankets or hot water bottles, and offering the patient warm, sweet nonalcoholic drinks.

The CDC says warming the arms and legs first can stress the heart and lungs, and that the center of the body – the head, neck, chest and groin area – should be warmed first.

Frostbite, meanwhile, is an injury that occurs when the skin and the underlying tissues are damaged by cold temperatures. Treatment typically involves placing the skin in warm water or placing blankets over affected skin area.

Frostbite typically occurs in three stages. The first is frostnip, where the skin will turn red or purple and be cold, sore and slightly painful. This is usually temporary damage, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

The second stage, superficial frostbite, occurs when the skin turns a gray color or begins peeling. Patients may have a "pins and needles" feeling and, after the skin is rewarmed, the skin may sting or swell up, the Cleveland Clinic said.

The final stage is severe frostbite, which results in numbness and skin that turns hard and black due to skin cells dying. Large blisters will appear on the skin a day or two after cold exposure and skin may be permanently damaged, according to the Cleveland Clinic.