Freshwater stingray injuries in Belém, State of Pará, Brazil.

Objective: to describe clinical and epidemiological aspects of freshwater stingray injuries in the city of Belém, Pará, brazilian amazon. Method: descriptive, epidemiological and observational study, carried out between 1999 and 2008, using medical records from hospitals in the districts of Mosqueiro, Outeiro and Cotijuba, in Belém. Results: the majority of injuries occurred in males (67.9%) being 84.8% during leisure, mainly in the dry season (July to December) (88.6%), during the day (92.9%) affecting the feet (88.4%) primarily. Participants received medical assistance in the first hour after the accident (84.4%), with local pain (99.2%) being the main complaint. 11.3% of patients had systemic manifestations. Among the complications during evolution, local infection and infection with necrosis were the most frequent (1.7%). Wound debridement was performed in 89.2% of patients. Conclusion: stingray injuries represent an important health problem for the population of the Brazilian Amazon. Understanding its epidemiological and clinical characteristics may improve patient care in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]