Abstract
Background: Taiwan is located in a subtropical area where there are approximately 50 kinds of land snakes and six principal kinds of venous snakes. Snakebite envenomation is not an uncommon issue in Taiwan. We design a study to obtain an understanding of the characteristics of snakebites and snakebite patients in a medical center in northern Taiwan. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective medical records study of an 8-year period. We used the key word “snake” to search the emergency department (ED) diagnosis of all patients and then used antivenom management codes to select patients for inclusion. The species of snake involved, time and site of the bite, geographic data of the patients and patient outcomes were recorded. Results: In total, there were 125 snakebite patients (male 70%, female 30%). The snakes involved were Protobothrops mucrosquamatus (50%), followed by Trimeresurus stejnegeri (7%). The feet and ankles were the most frequently bitten areas (42.4%). The peak months were July and October. The average ED stasis time was 2 hours and 45 minutes, and 65.6% of snakebite patients received antivenom. In patients bitten by P. mucrosquamatus, there was a high surgical rate, 23.8% higher than those reported in other studies. No mortalities or side effects of antivenom were reported in these patients. Conclusion: We propose a clinical flow chart for physicians who are treating patients bitten by P. mucrosquamatus. Snakebites, especially those inflicted by P. mucrosquamatus, induce severe soft tissue swelling, which can mimic compartment syndrome. Antivenom for P. mucrosquamatus is the first and only choice of treatment. The amount of antivenom needs to match the clinical symptoms. Patients bitten by P. mucrosquamatus may need longer observation times than patients bitten by other species of snakes, in addition to toxicologist consultations, sonographic examinations, and measurement of the objective compartment pressure before surgery.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
