How to remove a stinger
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How to remove a stinger
It is important to remove the stinger as quickly as possible after a sting. Even a delay of a second or two in removing the stinger is likely to increase the amount of venom you receive. In less than 20 seconds after a sting, 90% of the venom is injected into your body.
To quickly remove the stinger:
- Flick the stinger out with your finger.
- Scrape it out with something that is a immediately available, like a stiff piece of paper, butter knife, or credit card. Don't waste time trying to find something special.
- Pinch it out with your fingers. Venom cannot be "squeezed" out of the stinger.
Credits
| Author | Jan Nissl, RN, BS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Sean P. Bush, MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine and Envenomation Specialist |
| Last Updated | February 1, 2008 |
| Last updated: | February 01, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Jan Nissl, RN, BS |
| Reviewed By: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Sean P. Bush, MD, FACEP - Emergency Medicine and Envenomation Specialist |
| Editors: | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer |
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