The Medical journal of Australia
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Hot water immersion v icepacks for treating the pain of Chironex fleckeri stings: a randomised controlled trial.
To investigate the effectiveness of hot water immersion for relieving the pain of major box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) stings.Design, interventions: Open label, randomised controlled trial comparing the effects of hot water immersion (45°C) and icepacks.Setting, participants: 42 patients with suspected C. fleckeri stings treated in the emergency department of the Royal Darwin Hospital during September 2005 - October 2008. ⋯ Hot water immersion was no more effective than icepacks for reducing the acute pain of box jellyfish stings, but increased emergency department LOS by about 30 minutes.