An Indian woman has died after being stung by a scorpion.
The anonymous patient, 54, was attacked on her left hand by an Indian Red Scorpion shortly after she woke up, a case report reveals.
The woman, from Warangal – 89 miles (144km) from Hyderabad, was rushed to her local hospital and given a range of drugs to combat the expected side effects.
But eight hours later, the deadly venom triggered a life-threatening stroke – despite the best efforts of doctors treating her.
Medics were able to keep her alive for a little while longer – and were forced to revive her soon after when her heart stopped pumping.
But the woman died when the venom triggered a second cardiac arrest, despite the repeated attempts to keep her heart pumping.
The anonymous patient, 54, was attacked on her left hand by an Indian Red Scorpion shortly after she woke up, a case report reveals
Her death, revealed in BMJ Case Reports, has prompted the doctors to warn about the potential risk of stroke in patients stung by scorpions.
Prompted a warning
Writing in the prestigious journal, the team who treated her at Aditya Hospital said: ‘Scorpion bite-induced ischaemic infarct is rare.’
The dangerous scorpion, known scientifically as Hottentotta tamulus, was captured immediately after stinging the woman and was killed.
It is considered to be one of the world’s most lethal scorpions, and grows up to be 6cm long. Doctors said such stings kill up to 22 per cent of patients.
Three hours after she was admitted, the woman developed tachycardia (abnormally fast heartbeat) and low blood pressure (hypotension).
What did tests show?
An electrocardiogram showed raised levels of CK MB enzymes in her blood, often a sign that someone has had a heart attack.
The doctors were able to control her symptoms, but they became concerned when her symptoms worsened eight hours later.
The venom caused the right side of her body to become paralysed (hemiplegia) and she struggled to speak (aphasia) – two signs of a stroke.
An MRI scan then showed the woman had suffered an ischaemic stroke – a clot that blocks the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain.
Dosed up with aspirin
Doctors dosed her up with aspirin, a known anticoagulant, to slash her risk of being struck down by another potentially deadly stroke.
Within hours, the unidentified woman’s blood pressure again dropped dangerously low her heartbeat abnormally high.
She went into cardiac arrest, which kills nine in ten victims. Doctors were able to revive her, but she entered a coma.
The scorpion’s venom eventually killed her the next day, when her body fell victim to another cardiac arrest.