More worries from gila monsters
Most know that Gila monsters are the a venomous lizard indigenous to the United States, but typically know very little about them. Of course, most of this has to do with the fact that it has a relatively small range,…
Category EBM Gone Wild
What to do for bug bites?
Face it. Except for the very lucky, few of us are able to escape biting insects. After getting bit, the range of reactions is immense; from no reaction to anaphylaxis. Thankfully, most simply have mild pruritis and urticaria. But how…
Do air pockets help avalanche survival?
The theoretical is obvious. If you have an air pocket you can breathe into after an avalanche, you should survive longer than if you don’t. This study intended to ascertain if this was true, as their hypothesis was that air…
Mediterranean recluse bite necroses cartilage
Short case report from the Netherlands today. It involves a 22 year old woman who went to Italy on vacation, and one night woke up with left ear pain. This progressed to a small vesicle, then to swelling of the…
Big powder, bigger injuries
Go to almost any mountain resort and you’ll see that skiers and snowboarders are not alike. Even though snowboarding has been popular for nearly 30 years, there is still very little overlap between the two cultures. This extends to injuries…
Canteloupe listeriosis
Listeria monocytogenes, a gram positive rod, is the leading cause of fatal foodborne infections in the United States. With an overall fatality rate approaching 20%, it is easy to understand why, even though the infection rates are behind those of…
Bats, not just for rabies anymore
A timely post about bats during the Halloween season. This paper is a well written review by the CDC and Emory University of the emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) from bats. While long, at 17 pages (13 with 4 pages of…
Asian giant hornet
You may have recently seen news stories about Vespa mandarina “terrorizing” parts of China. What is interesting about this species is that due to their size, their venom has significant effects in addition to the typical hymenoptera anaphylaxis. Yes, most…
The shocking pink dragon millipede
Imagine you're caving in Thailand, and you see a pink millipede. Against your better judgement, you bend over and pick it up. Then you smell almonds…
Death by elephant
You don’t want to experience a tusker in the bush at 6 in the morning. They’re large, dangerous creatures that can be quite aggressive. This study takes a look at 14 human fatalities in West Bengal between 2007 and 2010.…
Brown recluse bites
Last October, a report of death by loxoscelism was reported in Annals. It’s a sad story about a previously healthy 3 year old girl who was bitten by a witnessed brown recluse in Tennessee. She went to a rural ED,…
Ice vs chemical cold packs
Heat illness needs fast treatment, and to accomplish this many EMS agencies carry chemical cold packs. These are convenient in that they have long shelf lives, don’t require cold storage, and don’t leak or drip fluids. According to this article,…