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Remove a TickSince
ticks have the ability to transmit disease, early removal is advisable to
minimize the possibility of transmission. However, patients must be reassured that no preventive treatment
for disease is necessary. For
example, a tick with known Lyme Disease must be attached for at least 24
hours to be able to transmit the disease to the host. The patient then has only a 10-20% chance of actually contracting
the disease.
The traditional home remedies
of nail polish, petroleum jelly, and burning the tick are not very effective and removal by mechanical extraction
is the recommended method. To
remove the tick you must obtain a hemostat or forceps and don gloves. You then stretch the skin to expose the tick's head. Next the tick is gently grasped at the head, as close to the skin
as possible, and removed by gentle and steady in line traction. Do not squeeze or crush the tick until after removal. If any portion of the tick remains after extraction, it must be
removed to prevent infection. Excision
of the remnants under local anesthesia is the recommended method. The patient should then obtain a Lyme titer in endemic areas
and a repeat titer in 3-6 weeks. Additionally
the patient should be given education on the signs and symptoms of concern
for them to return to medical.
Reference
Roberts, JR and Hedges, JR:
Clinical Procedures In Emergency Medicine, Third Edition. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 1998, pp 631-632.
Contributed by LT John S. Brooks, MC, USN, Naval Medical Center, Portsmouth
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