Infrared thermography to diagnose and manage venomous animal bites and stings

Abstract Introduction : Infrared imaging (IR) is a noninvasive technique that quantifies body surface temperature, producing a digital color image. IR has been used to study diseases in which skin temperature can reflect the presence of inflammation. Methods : This was an observational pilot study of eight patients envenomed by snakes, spiders, and scorpions. All patients were examined using a thermal camera. Results : In all cases, we obtained infrared images that corroborated clinical findings indicating localized effects of venom, specifically inflammation. Conclusions : IR has potential for use as a research, diagnostic, and monitoring tool for localized effects of animal venoms. Keywords : Infrared thermography. Envenomation. Venomous animals.Infrared imaging (IR) is a noninvasive technique that quantifies body surface temperature by capturing the thermal radiation emitted and producing a high-resolution digital image called a thermogram 1 . The information is made visible via a color scale where the warmest areas are depicted as white or red, while the coolest areas appear blue or black