Black Widows in Arizona

[OreoThief]

Got a question for you guys...

I live in Arizona, and have noticed that there are a tremendous amount of Black Widows in the new ranch that we just purchased. I used to be terrified of scorpions when we first moved to Arizona until both my husband and 6 year old were stung, and they were fine... now they are just something that we look out for, and deal with. Black widows, on the other hand....

I have read lots of information on widows and their bites. My question is, does anyone have any experience with black widow bites or their treatment? Are they deadly to children? I have a 3 year old, and want to be prepared, just in case of anything. The darn things are everywhere! How are black widow bites handled with EMS? What is the first thing I need to do if one of them (or anyone) gets bit? Any ideas? I look forward to your feedback.

 

[Guardian]

Keep your 3 y/o out of woodpiles and brush and he/she should be fine. I won't bore you with s/s since you have already probably read about them. Treatment is supportive (basically meaning do nothing) and the goal should be antivenin as soon as possible. Muscle relaxants, pn meds, etc can be given in the field by ems personnel, but this usually doesn't happen/isn’t necessary in my experience. Death is possible, but rare.

 

[Asclepius]

Basically the symptoms can mirror that of many other conditions. The main indicator is that the bite is extremely painful. Prehospital care is supportive following ACLS protocols.

With stings and poisons of various kinds different variations of warm and cold are indicated. In the case of Black Widow bites they recommend apply a cold compress. I don't believe a constrictive dressing is indicated, but I know cold is. Beyond that it is a matter of anti-venom vs. severity of envinomation.

This was a good source of information. http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic546.htm

 

[Guardian]

I could be wrong, but I don’t think cold compress is recommended. Black widows inject a neurotoxin that is painful, but doesn’t usually include localized swelling which would indicate use of cold compress.

 

[Asclepius]

Management
General
Cold compresses or ice pack (prevents toxin spread)
Thorough Wound Cleansing
Steroid ointment
Tetanus prophylaxis as needed
Muscle spasms, rigidity, pain
Calcium Gluconate
Adult dose: 10 ml of 10% solution) slow IV infuse
Can be repeated every 4 hours
Diazepam (Valium)
Infants/Toddlers: 0.2-5 mg slow IV infusion
Older children and Adults: 10 mg slow IV infusion
Methocarbamol (Robaxin)
Adult dose: 10-30 ml slow IV infuse
Calcium is more effective
Pain relief (Analgesics)
Use care with Narcotics: respiratory depression risk


http://www.fpnotebook.com/ER13.htm

 

[OreoThief]

Keep your 3 y/o out of woodpiles and brush and he/she should be fine.

That's a bit silly.... accidents can and will happen, and that's why I wanted some insight. That's why we have EMS, right? Because "stuff" happens?

And by the way, black widows are found in a lot of other places that you wouldn't even imagine... not just woodpiles and brush. Found one today in the water spigot when we went to take a drink. It actually crawled out through the water and ONTO the spigot as I went to take a drink. No woodpile in sight, either. :glare:

Anyway, point is, if I happened to witness a bite, it is definitely NOT something to try and treat at home, like a bee sting or scorpion sting... correct?

 

[OreoThief]

http://www.fpnotebook.com/ER13.htm

Hey! This is great- thank you. Reading it now.....

Why the valium? Will that slow down the spread of the neurotoxins?

 

[Asclepius]

Well, that is hard to say. It depends on how the patient is reacting and the level of envenomation. If the patient is symptomatic then it requires immediate attention. In the case of three year old, since the toxin affects the elderly and the very young you might have reason to be more concerned. What do we say in EMS??? Better to be safe than sorry, lets go get checked out just to be safe.

 

[Asclepius]

Hey! This is great- thank you. Reading it now.....

Why the valium? Will that slow down the spread of the neurotoxins?

The valium or other Benzo's are to stop muscle rigidity and/or spasms.

 

[OreoThief]

any idea on how often seizures or rigidity presents itself as a symptom?

 

[Asclepius]

any idea on how often seizures or rigidity presents itself as a symptom?

I personally have never dealt with a BW spider bite so I can't give you statistics.

 

[Guardian]

Management
General
Cold compresses or ice pack (prevents toxin spread)
Thorough Wound Cleansing
Steroid ointment
Tetanus prophylaxis as needed
Muscle spasms, rigidity, pain
Calcium Gluconate
Adult dose: 10 ml of 10% solution) slow IV infuse
Can be repeated every 4 hours
Diazepam (Valium)
Infants/Toddlers: 0.2-5 mg slow IV infusion
Older children and Adults: 10 mg slow IV infusion
Methocarbamol (Robaxin)
Adult dose: 10-30 ml slow IV infuse
Calcium is more effective
Pain relief (Analgesics)
Use care with Narcotics: respiratory depression risk


http://www.fpnotebook.com/ER13.htm

thanks for the great info! If I ever get a real black widow spider bite, I'm putting cold on it!

 

[Guardian]

That's a bit silly.... accidents can and will happen, and that's why I wanted some insight. That's why we have EMS, right? Because "stuff" happens?

And by the way, black widows are found in a lot of other places that you wouldn't even imagine... not just woodpiles and brush. Found one today in the water spigot when we went to take a drink. It actually crawled out through the water and ONTO the spigot as I went to take a drink. No woodpile in sight, either. :glare:

Anyway, point is, if I happened to witness a bite, it is definitely NOT something to try and treat at home, like a bee sting or scorpion sting... correct?

I guess that was a bit obvious. There's a point though, all you can really prevent is the obvious. You can't follow your 3 year old around every square inch of the yard. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. If the child is bitten though, definitely take the child to a hospital. It's way way more than a bee sting or a scorpion, according to what I've read and seen.