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Marine animal stings or bites

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Stings - marine animals; Bites - marine animals

First Aid:

• Wear gloves, if possible when removing stingers.
• Wipe off stingers or tentacles with a towel.
• Wash the area with salt water.
• Soak the wound in as hot of water as the patient can tolerate for 30-90 minutes, if toldto do so by trained personnel.
• For some types of stings/bites, you may be told to apply vinegar or a meat tenderizer/water solution to neutralize the venom.

Do Not:

• DO NOT attempt to remove stingers without protecting your own hands.
• DO NOT raise the affected body part above the level of the heart.
• DO NOT allow the patient to exercise.
• DO NOT give any medication, unless told to do so by a health care provider.

Call immediately for emergency medical assistance if:

Seek medical help if the person has difficulty breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, or other body-wide (generalized) symptoms.

• Review Date: 7/18/2007
• Reviewed By: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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