Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical ()

Infrared thermography to diagnose and manage venomous animal bites and stings

  • Carlos Roberto de Medeiros,
  • Marcos Leal Brioschi,
  • Solange Nogueira de Souza,
  • Manoel Jacobsen Teixeira

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0390-2016
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 50, no. 2
pp. 260 – 264

Abstract

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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.

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