Dr. Stahnke recommends the following treatment for a person stung by one
of the deadly scorpions:
_“First, apply a tight tourniquet near the point of puncture and between
it and the heart.... As soon as possible, place an ice pack on the site
of the sting. Have a pack of finely crushed ice wrapped in as thin a
cloth as possible. Cover and surround the area for about 10 to 12
inches. After the ice pack has been in place for approximately 5
minutes, remove the tourniquet._
_“If a person is stung on the hand, foot, or other region that can be
submerged completely, place the portion, as soon as possible, in an
ice-and-water mixture made of small lumps of ice (about half the size of
ice cubes) in a proportion of half ice and half water. Treatment should
not be continued longer than 2 hours._
_“NEVER put salt in the water. After the first 15 minutes, the hand or
foot must be removed for relief for 1 minute every 10 minutes in the
iced water.”_
_Dr. Stahnke continues: “If the patient is less than 3 years old, if the
patient has been stung several times, or if the patient has been stung
on the back of the neck, anywhere along the backbone, or on an area of
deep flesh like the buttock, thigh, or trunk of the body, or especially
on the genital organs, medical assistance should be obtained at once.”_
_Dr. F. A. Shannon advises that no person with disease involving the
circulation of the extremities should use iced water. Morphine is a
necessary tool in controlling pain, and barbiturates are useful for
control of convulsions._
Several hospitals in southern Arizona keep a supply of scorpion
antivenin and, in any case, the patient should be taken to a hospital as
quickly as possible. In all cases the first-aid treatment should be
applied and maintained until the patient is under the care of a
physician.
With adults, in case a physician is not available, the iced-water
treatment usually proves sufficient. Generally, after 2 hours of
iced-water use, there is no longer any danger, but should symptoms
reappear, treatment should be resumed.
Scorpion antivenin for stings of _Centruroides sculpturatus_ and _C.
gertschi_ is available at the Poisonous Animals Research Laboratory,
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. The recommended method of
treatment is the “L-C” method. The L stands for ligature and C for
cryotherapy (tourniquet and ice pack treatment).
_Treatment is as follows: “As soon as possible (after the sting has been
received) inject intramuscularly or subcutaneously, 5 to 10 cc. of
natural serum or 3 cc. of the concentrated. In serious cases, inject
intravenously.” No immediate untoward results have been noted, but some
cases of skin irritation develop later._
In cases of scorpion poisoning when antivenin is not available, the
following treatment is recommended[12]:
“_Use morphine with extreme caution. It has not been found effective in
the usual doses. Barbiturates are more effective and less dangerous.
Bromides in large doses are apparently of value. In those cases
characterized by severe pulmonary edema (accumulation of fluid in the
lungs) atropine is indicated along with general supportive measures.
Compresses, using a fairly concentrated ammonium hydroxide solution,
have been found helpful if applied within a few moments. If applied for
the first time about 10 minutes after the sting, no apparent benefit is
attained.”_