Infrared thermography to diagnose and manage venomous animal bites and stings

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Carlos Roberto de Medeiros, Marcos Leal Brioschi, Solange Nogueira de Souza, Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT)
• Subjects: Infrared thermography; Envenomation; Venomous animals; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0390-2016; https://doaj.org/article/27b67f5c675d410a8f55a703b2bb9877

Abstract INTRODUCTION Infrared imaging (IR) is a noninvasive technique that quantifies body surface temperature, producing a digital color image. IR has been used to study diseases in which skin temperature can reflect the presence of inflammation. METHODS This was an observational pilot study of eight patients envenomed by snakes, spiders, and scorpions. All patients were examined using a thermal camera. RESULTS In all cases, we obtained infrared images that corroborated clinical findings indicating localized effects of venom, specifically inflammation. CONCLUSIONS IR has potential for use as a research, diagnostic, and monitoring tool for localized effects of animal venoms.