In article <5963F81434A4D511874500B0D0AAAAAE0349E12A@EXCHANGE>, Scott,
Charles <[log in to unmask]> writes
>Just had a patient present with a sheep tick. Folk remedies such as
>Vaseline or alcohol are out of favour as they may cause regurgitation of
>infected material into the patient , and standard advice was to grasp with
>forceps and pull, which we know often leaves the jaws behind. A German
>doctor here said that back home they remove them by grasping with fine
>forceps and rotating anticlockwise. It worked a treat. Any other
>experience? Must it be anticlockwise?
>
Ticks. An interesting, emotive and sometimes somewhat whacky topic.
I cannot claim to be an expert but have spent some time reading around
the subject.
They produce some 'cement' to help anchor them - and it can be pretty
tough stuff and I think is probably stronger than the tick.
One technique is to put a drinking straw over the tick, then tie a loose
knot in thread around the straw and slide it to the skin surface, then
pull the knot tight, remove straw and use gentle continued traction
until tick fatigues and comes out. This is supposed to prevent
regurgitation into the victim.
I have tried this the last few times we have had someone in and I have
been unimpressed - each time the tick broke around the mouth parts
leaving tiny bits. My question really is 'does that matter'? I always
try to get out what I can, but I don't dig holes, and am not usually
bothered by superficial splinters etc
I might try the needle and tread _under_ the mouth parts trick.
Removal within 2 hours seems to be recommended -it is said that this
reduces the risk of disease transmission. My _view_ would be that any
method of removal that involves pulling from as close to the mouth parts
as possible is probably the best. We should not make this into too much
of a science because we want folks to remove their own tick asap rather
than wait for a physician to help.
Prevention advice is important. DEET can help, permethrin impregnation
of trousers, thick trousers tucked into socks and skin inspection after
a trip to a tick prone area.
Cheers
--
Jel Coward
The UK Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician and Command Physician course is
7-13 November 2004 at Glenmore Lodge, Aviemore, Scotland
http://www.wildmedic.org
http://www.wemsi.org
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'There's no such thing as bad weather - just bad clothing"
Anon Norwegian
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