1. First Aid Essentials Slideshow Pictures
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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Most infants, small children and the elderly, especially if they are stung by a bark scorpion, which inhabits large areas in Arizona and New Mexico, should be seen quickly by a doctor since some of the severe reactions occur in these populations. However, anyone who experiences the severe symptoms listed above after a scorpion sting needs immediate treatment in an emergency department.

What to do:

• Call 911 and Poison Control (1-800-222-1222)
• Continuously apply ice to the sting area.
• If there is no danger to other people, carefully collecting a dead or injured scorpion into a sealed container to show to the physician may be helpful.
• Antivenom therapy is available for the Centruroides species (bark scorpion), the antivenom (Anascorp) has been approved for use against the bark scorpion sting in 2011 by the FDA. It is made by immunizing horses with the venom and then the antivenom (immunoglobulin) is harvested from horse blood. The antivenom may stop all symptoms within about 4 hours after administration. Other researchers are developing antivenom to other species of scorpions.
• All but the mildest of symptoms require hospital admission for 24 hours of observation, especially for children.
• Consult a doctor about treatment with available medications if antivenom is not available.