Abstract
Objective. - To evaluate the efficacy of the commercially available product Mitigator Sting and Bite Treatment in reducing the pain after imported fire ant stings. Methods. - Twenty-four volunteer subjects were exposed to imported fire ant stings on both forearms. The subjects received Mitigator paste on 1 arm and calamine lotion on the opposite arm, in a blinded manner, from 90 seconds to 10 minutes after exposure. Subjects recorded pain on a 100-mm visual analog scale 60 seconds, 20 minutes, and 3 days after exposure. A 2-tailed paired t test was used to compare the difference in reduction of pain over time between the Mitigator-treated arms and the calamine-treated arms. Results. - At 60 seconds, the mean visual analog scale pain score was 23.9 mm for the Mitigator group and 24.5 mm for the calamine group. At 20 minutes, the mean score was 7.6 mm (Δ = 16.3) for the Mitigator group and 12.7 mm (Δ = 11.8) for the calamine group. At 3 days, the mean score was 2.4 mm (Δ = 21.5) for the Mitigator group and 2.9 mm (Δ = 21.6) for the calamine group. There was no significant difference between groups for change in visual analog scale pain score at 60 seconds, 20 minutes (P = .256), or 3 days (P = .64). Conclusions. - There was no significant difference in pain relief between calamine and Mitigator for imported fire ant stings.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 21-25 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Wilderness and Environmental Medicine |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2006 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Analgesia
- Calamine lotion
- Hymenoptera
- Imported fire ant
- Insect bites and stings
- Mitigator
- Pain management
- Therapeutic techniques and equipment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Emergency Medicine
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health