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Red‐back spider‐bites at Fremantle Hospital, 1982‐1987
Author(s) -
Jelinek George A.,
Banham Neil D.G.,
Dunjey Steven J.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1989.tb136762.x
Subject(s) - spider , envenomation , medicine , antivenom , incidence (geometry) , surgery , biology , venom , mathematics , zoology , ecology , geometry
The published literature in Australia on red‐back spider‐bites allows no means of determination of the incidence of this envenomation. This retrospective study describes the experience at Fremantle Hospital with red‐back spider‐bites over a six‐year period from 1982‐1987 inclusive. One hundred and fifty patients were admitted to hospital with a definite red‐back spider‐bite, of whom 32 (21%) patients received antivenom; 11 (34%) of these patients received more than one ampoule. In earlier series, only 3% of patients have received more than one ampoule. These results suggest that the WA red‐back spider is particularly venomous, and that the annual number of definite red‐back spider‐bites in Australia lies between approximately 830 and 1950 cases. (Med J Aust 1989; 150: 693‐695)