Davenport Kits: Immediate Medical Care for Jellyfish Envenomations

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

Chrysaora auinquecirrha (Atlantic Sting Sea Nettle) and Physali physalis (Portuguese Man ‘O War) Jellyfish envenomations are very common occurrences during the summer months in the waters off York County, Virginia. Fortunately, most of the encounters, though very painful, have limited medical implications and can be treated fairly easily. The problem faced by emergency medical services providers was that no accepted treatment method or treatment protocol for these medical emergencies existed. This caused delays to patient care, an increased call burden on ambulances, and unnecessary ambulance transports to already stressed emergency departments. In consultation with the York County Medical Director, York County Department of Fire and Life Safety created a treatment kit known as the “Davenport Kit,” named after one of the department’s EMS Field Supervisors. This established medical protocols to treat the local reactions caused by these encounters, thus allowing the ambulances to get back in service quicker, drastically eliminating hospital transports, and reducing the pain and suffering of citizens and guests.