Introduction: Infrared imaging (IR) is a noninvasive technique that quantifies body surface temperature, producing a digital color image. IR has been used to study diseases in which skin temperature can reflect the presence of inflammation.
Methods: This was an observational pilot study of eight patients envenomed by snakes, spiders, and scorpions. All patients were examined using a thermal camera.
Results: In all cases, we obtained infrared images that corroborated clinical findings indicating localized effects of venom, specifically inflammation.
Conclusions: IR has potential for use as a research, diagnostic, and monitoring tool for localized effects of animal venoms.