My recent talk on marine envenoming is now alive in blog-post form thanks to the MicroGnome. It gives a brief overview of the clinical aspects of marine envenoming from an Australian perspective.
Paralysis and a head lump
September 23, 2010 By 4 Comments
A 5 year old girl is unable to walk and is becoming progressively weaker. She also complained of a lump on her head. Can you make the diagnosis?
Snakebite Envenoming Challenge
February 11, 2010 By 6 Comments
So you sailed through the toxidrome challenge did you? How are you with elapids? Let’s see how you fare on the ‘Australian Snakebite Envenoming Challenge’…
How this works: For each of the six types of venomous Australian snake see if you can describe the classic findings for each of the possibly clinical effects listed below – click on the link to show/hide the answer.
Lionfish envenoming
April 28, 2009 By 1 Comment
A 41-year-old man presented to the emergency department 20 minutes after being stung on the distal palmar surface of his right index finger by his lionfish (Pterois volitans) while cleaning his aquarium. Almost immediately after the sting, severe pain developed, followed by nausea. The patient bathed his finger in hot water, as recommended by his aquarist guidebook, with no alleviation of symptoms.
Box jellyfish in moving pictures
April 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Irukandji in moving pictures
April 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Stung Inside A Stinger Net
March 27, 2009 By 1 Comment
Bitten by a Redback Spider
March 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment
A 27 year-old woman felt a sting on the back of the right leg while pulling on her tracksuit pants. She investigated further and discovered a small black spider, with a red-stripe on its back, crawling around in her tracksuit pants.
When Doug met Struan
February 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The incomparable Douglas Adams, of “A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ” fame, needs no introduction.
Irukandji syndrome
December 18, 2008 By 1 Comment
Irukandji syndrome is a distressing envenoming secondary to the sting of Carukia barnesi and other, as yet unidentified, jellyfish found in coastal waters of tropical Australia. It has also been reported in Hawaii, the Caribbean, Asia and Papua New Guinea. In a small number of cases, life‑threatening hypertension and pulmonary oedema may develop. Two fatalities have been attributed to this condition in Australia. Management is symptomatic and supportive. Antivenom has not yet been developed.
