Pek Jen Heng, Lim Swee Han, Ong Gene Y, Djarv Therese, Douma Matthew, Welsford Michelle, Charlton Nathan P
Emergency Medicine, Sengkang General Hospital, Singapore, SGP.
Emergency Medicine, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, SGP.
Cureus. 2025 May 17;17(5):e84289. doi: 10.7759/cureus.84289. eCollection 2025 May.
Jellyfish stings and envenomation can cause local and systemic symptoms with varying severity and duration. The goals of first aid include interventions to relieve symptoms, thus reducing morbidity and mortality. In this systematic review performed on behalf of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) First Aid Task Force, we aimed to answer the question: Among adults and children with a suspected jellyfish sting, what is the effect of first aid intervention as treatment, compared to other treatment or no treatment, on pain, time to pain relief, survival, need for hospitalization, and adverse outcomes or complications? A search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-randomized studies was performed on Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Excerpta Medica database (Embase), and Web of Science until 31 March 2025. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions, and reporting adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. There were seven RCTs or quasi-RCTs and three non-randomized studies. There was very low confidence in the estimate of effects for the outcomes evaluated due to the risk of bias and heterogeneity. Treatment with topical vinegar was the most frequently evaluated intervention (seven studies), followed by heat therapy (six studies). All studies reported on the critical outcome of any pain relief and intensity of pain, with a wide range of time to pain relief of up to 24 hours. Adverse outcomes after treatment were evaluated in six studies and included pain, erythema, burns, and difficulty with application. Treatments that may relieve symptoms of jellyfish stings include seawater, heat therapy, cold packs, lidocaine, benzocaine, Adolph's meat tenderizer, vinegar, commercial products (e.g., Stingose or Sting-Aid), and sodium bicarbonate. There were very few studies and a significant risk of bias and heterogeneity, leading to very low-quality evidence on first aid treatment for jellyfish stings. Seawater would be recommended, given its availability at no cost in the coastal region.
水母蜇伤和中毒可导致严重程度和持续时间各异的局部和全身症状。急救的目标包括采取干预措施缓解症状,从而降低发病率和死亡率。在这项代表国际复苏联合委员会(ILCOR)急救工作组开展的系统评价中,我们旨在回答以下问题:在疑似水母蜇伤的成人和儿童中,与其他治疗或不治疗相比,急救干预作为治疗手段对疼痛、疼痛缓解时间、生存率、住院需求以及不良结局或并发症有何影响?我们在Cochrane对照试验中央注册库、医学文献分析与检索系统在线数据库(MEDLINE)、医学文摘数据库(Embase)和科学网中检索了截至2025年3月31日的随机对照试验(RCT)和非随机研究。本系统评价按照Cochrane干预措施系统评价手册进行,报告遵循系统评价和Meta分析的首选报告项目(PRISMA)清单。共有7项RCT或准RCT以及3项非随机研究。由于存在偏倚风险和异质性风险,对所评估结局效应的估计置信度非常低。局部用醋治疗是评估最频繁的干预措施(7项研究),其次是热疗法(6项研究)。所有研究均报告了任何疼痛缓解和疼痛强度这一关键结局,疼痛缓解时间跨度很大,最长可达24小时。6项研究评估了治疗后的不良结局,包括疼痛、红斑、烧伤和应用困难。可能缓解水母蜇伤症状的治疗方法包括海水、热疗法、冷敷、利多卡因、苯佐卡因、阿道夫肉类嫩化剂、醋、商业产品(如Stingose或Sting - Aid)和碳酸氢钠。研究数量非常少,且存在显著的偏倚风险和异质性风险,导致关于水母蜇伤急救治疗的证据质量极低。鉴于海水在沿海地区免费可得,推荐使用海水。