MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Scorpion fish

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Scorpion fish

Contents of this page:
Definition Poisonous Ingredient Where Found Symptoms Home Treatment	Before Calling Emergency Poison Control, or a local emergency number What to expect at the emergency room Expectations (prognosis)

Definition

Poisoning caused by a sting from a scorpion fish.

Poisonous Ingredient

scorpion fish venom

Where Found

scorpion fish
related species

Symptoms

body as a whole
- local pain (severe)
- swelling at site of puncture(s) eventually involving the entire arm or leg
gastrointestinal
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
respiratory
- shortness of breath
heart and blood vessels
- high or low blood pressure
- rapid or slow heart rate
nervous system
- fainting
- delirium
- seizures
- paralysis

Home Treatment

Wash the area with salt water. Remove any foreign material at the wound site. Contact the emergency room. Soak the wound in the hottest water the person can tolerate for 30 to 90 minutes, if instructed to do so. Contact Poison Control Center for appropriate treatment instructions.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

the patient's age, weight, and condition
identification of the marine animal causing the sting if possible
the time stung

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

They will instruct you if it is necessary to take the patient to the hospital and advise of any appropriate first aid that can be administered immediately.

What to expect at the emergency room

Some or all of the following procedures may be performed:

Wash the area.
Remove any possible foreign material.
Soak the wound.
Remove any remaining material.
Give tetanus immunization if necessary.
Give antibiotic if necessary.
Treat the symptoms.

Expectations (prognosis)

Recovery will probably depend on how much toxin the patient received, any sensitivity to the toxin, and how soon adequate treatment can be obtained.

Update Date: 2/23/2004

Updated by: Cherlin Johnson, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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