Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo
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Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. Sao Paulo · Jan 1994
Case ReportsSevere scorpion envenomation in Brazil. Clinical, laboratory and anatomopathological aspects.
Scorpion stings in Brazil are important not only because of their incidence but also for their potential ability to induce severe, and often fatal, clinical situations, especially among children. In this report we present the clinical and laboratory data of 4 patients victims of scorpion stings by T. serrulatus, who developed heart failure and pulmonary edema, with 3 of them dying within 24 hours of the sting. ⋯ The surviving child presented enzymatic, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic changes compatible with severe cardiac involvement, which were reversed within 5 days. These findings reinforce the need for continuous monitoring of patients with severe scorpion envenoming during the hours immediately following the sting.