Marine Animal Bite Or Sting

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW:

• A marine animal bite or sting is an injury caused by an animal that lives in salt water. The injury may be from a poison or wound caused by the marine animal, or both. A marine animal bite may be caused by sharks, eels, barracudas, and octopuses. Stings may be due to a jellyfish, Portuguese man-of-war, and sea anemones, which inject poison through their tentacles (arms). Stingrays, stonefish, lionfish, scorpionfish, catfish, and sea urchins also inject poison and cause open wounds. You may have pain, bleeding, or swelling at the site of the bite or sting. You may have puncture wounds, skin nicks or scrape, redness, rashes, bumps, blisters, or changes in skin color. Bad bites or stings may cause trouble breathing, fainting, convulsions, and death.
  
  
• Caregivers may check the affected area, including the injured skin and area around it. He will look for other problems and signs of infection. Blood tests, an ultrasound, wound culture, and x-rays may be done to check for other problems or injuries. Treatment will depend on how severe the injury is, its location, and whether other areas are affected. This includes wound cleaning, medicines, and other procedures. With proper treatment and care, a marine animal bite or sting may be cured and serious problems prevented.

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

RISKS:

Treatment for a marine animal bite or sting may bring unwanted effects. Medicines may cause nausea (upset stomach), vomiting (throwing up), or stomach ulcers (sores). You may develop soreness, redness, or swelling of the muscle where tetanus shots were given. Untreated marine bites or stings may lead to more serious problems, such as infections and severe allergic reactions. Severe allergic reactions may cause irregular heartbeats, breathing problems, coma, or death. The chances of treating a marine bite or sting are better when diagnosed and treated as soon after the bite or sting as possible. Ask your caregiver if you are worried or have questions about your injury, care, or treatment.

WHILE YOU ARE HERE:

Informed consent: You have the right to understand your health condition in words that you know. You should be told what tests, treatments, or procedures may be done to treat your condition. Your doctor should also tell you about the risks and benefits of each treatment. You may be asked to sign a consent form that gives caregivers permission to do certain tests, treatments, or procedures. If you are unable to give your consent, someone who has permission can sign this form for you. A consent form is a legal piece of paper that tells exactly what will be done to you. Before giving your consent, make sure all your questions have been answered so that you understand what may happen.

IV: An IV is a tube placed in your vein for giving medicine or liquids. This tube is capped or connected to tubing and liquid.

Medicines: Your caregiver may give you the following kinds of medicines:

• Antibiotics: Antibiotics may be given to help treat or prevent an infection caused by germs called bacteria.
  
  
• Anti-venom: This medicine may be given to fight the poison you received from the marine animal.
  
  
• Immune globulins: Immune globulins can be used to treat many different problems. It may be given to help your immune system fight infection. It may also help if your body does not produce enough of certain kinds of blood cells. This medicine may help if your system fights something in your blood or body that it should not. Ask your caregiver for more information about how immune globulin medicine may help you.
  
  
• Medicines for pain, swelling, or fever: You may be given medicines to treat pain, swelling, or fever while you are in the hospital. These medicines are safe for most people to use. However, they can cause serious problems when used by people with certain medical conditions. Tell caregivers if you have liver or kidney disease, a history of bleeding in your stomach, or any other medical problems. Also tell your caregiver about any allergies you have to medicines. Tell your caregiver about all other medicines, herbs, and supplements that you have taken lately.
  
  
• Muscle relaxers: This is medicine to help your muscles relax. When your muscles relax, you may move more easily and have less pain.
  
  
• Steroids: Steroid medicine may be given to decrease inflammation, which is redness, pain, and swelling.
  
  
• Tetanus shot: This is medicine to keep you from getting tetanus. It is given as a shot. You should have a tetanus shot if you have not had one in the past 5 to 10 years. Your arm can get red, swollen, and sore after getting this shot.

Tests: You may need any of the following:

• Blood tests: You may need blood taken for tests. The blood can be taken from a blood vessel in your hand, arm, or the bend in your elbow. It is tested to see how your body is doing. It can give your caregivers more information about your health condition. You may need to have blood drawn more than once.
  
  
• Ultrasound: An ultrasound is a simple test that looks inside of your body. Sound waves are used to show pictures of your organs and tissues on a TV-like screen.
  
  
• Wound culture: This is a method to grow and identify the germs that may be in your wound. This helps caregivers learn what kind of infection you have and what medicine is best used to treat it.
  
  
• X-ray: This is a picture of your bones and tissues in the wound area. Caregivers use these pictures to look for broken bones or objects such as spines or teeth. You may need to have an x-ray, especially if the wound is near a joint or bone.

Treatment options: You may have any of the following:

• Wound cleaning: Pieces of teeth, tentacles, or spine left inside the skin will be removed carefully. The skin may also be placed in hot, non-scalding water for some time. The wound will be cleaned with soap, water, and antiseptics (germ-killing solutions). This helps wash away germs which got into the wound, and decrease the chances of infection. Irrigation (flushing) with sterile (germ-free) water further cleans the wound. Objects, dirt, or dead tissues from the open wound will be removed through debridement (surgical cleaning). Caregivers may drain the wound to clean out pus.
  
  
• Respiratory support:
  
  
  • Oxygen: You may need extra oxygen to help you breathe easier. It may be given through a plastic mask over your mouth and nose. It may be given through a nasal cannula, or prongs, instead of a mask. A nasal cannula is a pair of short, thin tubes that rest just inside your nose. Tell your caregiver if your nose gets dry or if the mask or prongs bother you. Ask your caregiver before taking off your oxygen. Never smoke or let anyone else smoke in the same room while your oxygen is on. Doing so may cause a fire.
    
    
  • Ventilator: A ventilator is a special machine that can breathe for you if you cannot breathe well on your own. You may have an endotracheal tube (ET tube) in your mouth or nose. A tube called a trach may go into an incision (cut) in the front of your neck. The ET tube or trach is hooked to the ventilator. The ventilator can also give oxygen to you.
  
  
• Surgery: Your wound may be left open until it heals or closed using stitches (threads). You may need surgery to repair a fracture (broken bone) or damaged joint, tendon, or nerve. Surgery to rebuild or remove the body part with the bite wound may be also be done.
  
  
• Blood transfusion: During a blood transfusion, you will get whole blood, or parts of blood through an IV. Many people are worried about getting AIDS, hepatitis, or West Nile Virus from a blood transfusion. The risk of this happening is rare. Blood banks test all donated blood for AIDS, hepatitis, and West Nile Virus. If you refuse a blood transfusion, your condition may get worse, and you may die.

Copyright © 2008 Thomson Healthcare Inc. All rights reserved. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.

The above information is an educational aid only. It is not intended as medical advice for individual conditions or treatments. Talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist before following any medical regimen to see if it is safe and effective for you.

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