Marine toxins, envenomations, and bites: Difference between revisions
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==Differential Diagnosis== | ==Differential Diagnosis== | ||
{{Marine envenomation DDX}} | |||
==Treatment== | ==Treatment== | ||
Revision as of 20:31, 24 October 2014
Background
Mechanism
- Punctures skin to introduce venom
- Generally local symptoms without systemic effects
Diagnosis
Symptoms
- Vary with species
- Generally local pain
- Systemic symptoms can include vomiting, hypotension, muscle cramps, paralysis, cardiac arrest
Differential Diagnosis
Marine toxins, envenomations, and bites
- Toxins
- Ciguatera
- Scombroid
- Tetrodotoxin (e.g. pufferfish)
- Shellfish poisoning
- Amnesic shellfish poisoning
- Diarrheal shellfish poisoning
- Neurotoxic shellfish poisoning
- Paralytic shellfish poisoning
- Stingers
- Venomous fish
- Cone shell
- Lionfish
- Sea urchins
- Crown-of-Thorns Starfish
- Stonefish
- Other: Catfish, zebrafish, scorpion fish
- Nematocysts
- Coral reef
- Fire coral
- Jellyfish (Cnidaria)
- Portuguese man-of-war
- Sea anemones
- Seabather's eruption
- Phylum porifera (sponges)
- Bites
- Infections
Treatment
- Supportive
- If visible remove spines and stinger
- Immediately immerse wound in hot water (45°C for 30-90min)
- Clean area
- Tetanus prophylaxis
- Antivenom exists for stonefish toxicity
Sources
- Auerbach PS. Marine envenomations. N Engl J Med. 1991.
- Atkinson PRT. Is hot water immersion an effective treatment for marine envenomation? Emergency Medicine Journal. 2006;23(7):503–508. doi:10.1136/emj.2005.028456.