TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2020//
TI  - Review of scorpion stings and snakebites treated by the French military health service during overseas operations between 2015 and 2017
JO  - Wilderness and environmental medicine
A1  - Bomba, Aurore
A1  - Favaro, Pascal
A1  - Haus, Rachel
A1  - Aigle, Luc
A1  - Jean, François-Xavier
A1  - Dauphin, Isabelle
A1  - Guigon, Pierre
A1  - Fontaine, Bruno
A1  - Puidupin, Marc
A1  - Demoncheaux, Jean-Paul
A1  - Larréché, Sébastien
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - INTRODUCTION: Depending on their theatre of operation, French soldiers may potentially be exposed to scorpion stings and snakebites. Following the recommendations of a French military health service (FMHS) technical committee for envenomation, the FMHS provides antivenoms appropriate to each deployment. This work aimed to evaluate this risk of envenomation and to assess the antivenoms used by the FMHS in operational theatres since the creation of this committee in 2015. <br><br>METHODS: Cases were identified based on a review of temporary authorization of use application forms for the use of antivenom. Data were collected retrospectively from these forms, and prescribing physicians were contacted for any missing data. <br><br>RESULTS: Between 2015 and 2017, 28 requests for temporary authorization of use were identified: 19 for Scorpifav (Sanofi-Pasteur, Lyon, France) and 9 for Fav-Afrique (Sanofi-Pasteur). The FMHS treated 15 soldiers and 4 civilians for scorpion envenomation with Scorpifav: 15 in Mali, 3 in Chad, and 1 in Niger. Systemic signs were observed in 7 patients. Two soldiers and 7 civilians were treated with Fav-Afrique for ophidian envenomation: 5 in Djibouti, 3 in Mali, and 1 in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire. These 28 patients were treated without sequelae. Other than moderate erythema that resolved with an antihistamine, no adverse effects were reported. Medical evacuation to France was unnecessary. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the risk of envenomation for soldiers on deployment is low but real. Antivenoms used by the FMHS were efficient and well tolerated, preserving the operational capacity of deployed troops.<br><br>Copyright © 2020 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1080-6032
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2020.01.006
ID  - ref1
ER  -