Hymenoptera stings of the upper airway are rare events, but can result in rapid, life-threatening airway emergencies. The allergenic and toxic mediators that are released from the stings of bees, wasps, and hornets can cause local tissue inflammation and edema with subsequent upper airway obstruction. We report the case of a 15-y-old girl who suffered a bee sting to the uvula while zip-lining in Costa Rica. Shortly thereafter, she developed a choking sensation with associated dysphonia, odynophagia, drooling, and respiratory distress. She was brought to a rural emergency medical clinic where she was noted to have an erythematous, edematous, boggy uvula, with a black stinger lodged within it, as well as edema of the anterior pillars of the tonsils and soft palate. The stinger was removed with tweezers and she was treated with an intravenous corticosteroid and antihistamine. She had persistence of airway edema and symptoms until the administration of epinephrine, which resulted in clinical improvement shortly thereafter. In our review of this case and the existing literature, we emphasize the importance of early recognition and management of hymenoptera stings of the upper airway, which should always include immediate manual removal of the stinger, and in cases with significant upper airway edema, the administration of epinephrine should be considered.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.