Cardiac Involvement and Scorpion Envenomation in Children

Cardiac complications of 32 children with scorpion envenomation, during a 1-year period from August 1990 to August 1991 were studied. Sixteen children (50 per cent) were diagnosed as having myocarditis; of these in four children the presentation was subclinical. ECG changes were seen in 63 per cent of children envenomed and was a sensitive indicator of myocarditis. Sixty-nine per cent of children with myocarditis had left ventricular dysfunction as shown by echocardiography. Though statistically not significant, there was a correlation between prolonged QTc and LV dysfunction, which needs to be studied further. In those children who came for follow-up, the left ventricular function reversed to normal.