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in collaboration with
Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
In Antibes, a woman in her sixties ended up in the emergency room because of a spider that had nested in her right ear. Health professionals first doubted his story, before realizing…
The story is all about a joke and yet… In Antibes, a woman in her sixties was the victim of an unusual accident: a spider of the Macrothele calpeiana better known as the very toxic Andalusian tarantula, it entered his right ear canal. Subsequently victim of violent headaches, she went to the emergency room so that a doctor could extract her.
The patient was stung several times
Our colleagues from Nice-matin report the story of Antiboise: “When I woke up, my daughter said to me: “Mom, you have a spider on your cheek”. With the back of my hand, I then pushed the creature, which immediately took refuge in the nearest hole, my ear. We tried with a lukewarm water enema to get her out but to no avail. She stung me several times. So my daughter drove me to the ER“. After several attempts, the emergency doctor finally extracts the hairy spider, which measures one centimeter. The patient, who suffers from acute otitis, has since been on antibiotics.
“If this happens to you, consult an ENT or go to the emergency room”
Asked about this rather special case, Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of Doctissimo, explains that the insect must be drowned in the ear canal. “SIf this happens to you, you must quickly see an ENT doctor or go to the emergency room. The goal is to drown the insect or spider with a local anesthetic or disinfectant, such as Betadine. Do not try to remove it alone, at the risk of injury. And finally – and this is perhaps the most complicated – it is necessary to remain calm until the removal of the insect”.