Citation

Patra S, Satish K, Singla V, Ks R. BMJ Case Rep. 2013; 2013: 2013-009865.

Affiliation

Deapartment of Cardiology, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences & Research, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bcr-2013-009865

PMID

23715842

Abstract

The occurrence of an acute myocardial infarction (MI) following a scorpion sting has been very rarely reported in the previous literature. Possible pathogenetic mechanisms include severe hypotension due to hypovolaemic shock and coronary spasm with subsequent thrombosis of coronary vessels developed after the release of vasoactive, inflammatory and thrombogenic substances contained in the scorpion venom. All of the previously reported cases had normal coronary angiogram. We report a case of a 65-year-old woman who presented with severe scorpion sting and was treated with prazosin. But a few hours later, she developed acute anterior wall MI. Coronary angiogram revealed the presence of significant stenosis in coronary arteries. As acute MI owing to significant coronary artery disease can be evident after severe scorpion envenomation, so every case of acute coronary syndrome following scorpion sting needs early diagnosis, thorough cardiovascular evaluation and appropriate treatment.

Language: en