The tragic death of the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin who was killed by a stingray brought a renewed interest in these somewhat shy sea creatures.

The Medical Journal of Australia describes the 2nd known case of a Survivor of a Stingray Injury to the Heart (PDF, published in 2001):

“Cardiac injuries from stingray

barbs are rare, even worldwide, and all but one have been fatal.

Clinical Record

A 33-year-old man was snorkelling at Coogee, a popular Sydney swimming beach, when he was noticed to be in distress.”

References:
“Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin Killed by Stingray
The Claim: Never Remove a Barb From a Stingray Injury. NYTimes.
Image source: Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 1.0 license, by Dr. Tony Ayling.

Original post by Clinical Cases