TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Sea Urchin Envenomation A1 - Zafren, Ken A1 - Thurman, R. Jason A1 - Jones, Ian D. A2 - Knoop, Kevin J. A2 - Stack, Lawrence B. A2 - Storrow, Alan B. A2 - Thurman, R. Jason PY - 2021 T2 - The Atlas of Emergency Medicine, 5e AB - Sea urchins belong to the phylum Echinodermata and are nonaggressive, slow-moving creatures. Envenomation usually occurs after accidental contact with the organism. Long, brittle, venom-filled spines or specialized jaw-like appendages (pedicellariae) are responsible for the injury. Other echinoderms, notably the crown of thorns starfish, may also cause injury via similar mechanisms. The spines frequently break. Pedicellariae can remain attached and active for several hours. They may advance into muscle or joint spaces and cause infection or injury from the venom. The usual presentation is burning pain progressing to localized muscle aches. Erythema and edema may be present. Multiple envenomations may produce systemic symptoms including nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, paresthesias, numbness, paralysis, hypotension, syncope, or respiratory distress. While envenomation causes a reaction that may be quite painful, deaths, though reported, are exceedingly rare. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1181051077 ER -