Abstract
Introduction: Snakebite accidents are a public health problem and are considered clinical emergencies, what makes studies in high-incidence regions very important. Objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological aspects of patients suffering from snakebite accidents in a region of the Western Amazon, Brazil. Methods: It is a cross-sectional, retrospective and documentary quantitative approach, from 2015 to 2016, held at the Regional Hospital of Juruá, located in the city of Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil. Epidemiological data were obtained from the forms of the Notification Disease Information System (SINAN), in the Epidemiological Surveillance Sector of the hospital. The following variables were verified: month of occurrence, snake identification (type of accident), accident location (urban and rural), locality, municipality, victim data (age group, sex, anatomical region affected), symptoms and signs circumstances of the accident, time elapsed between accident and care, number of ampoules used, and type of serum. Results: An average of 124 cases of snakebite accidents were treated per year (76.71 cases per 100,000 inhabitants/year), most of them were botropic accidents and the patients were male adult and rural workers, bitten in the lower limbs. More than 30% of cases were treated six hours after poisoning and 24-hour care is a risk factor for complications, as seven of the eight patients who had complications were treated within one day of the accident. Conclusion: It was presented a constant increase in the cases, which generated a worrying point of reflection, which may be associated with two factors, where one turns to the improvement in the displacement of victims (improvements in branch roads and implementation of SAMU speedboat) facilitating plus transport and telephone coverage by improving communication, or the failure of public health policies to provide better conditions and guidance to the population.
Highlights
Snakebites are a public health problem and are considered clinical emergencies, what makes studies in highincidence regions very important
It was presented a constant increase in the cases, which generated a worrying point of reflection, which may be associated with two factors, where one turns to the improvement in the displacement of victims facilitating plus transport and telephone coverage by improving communication, or the failure of public health policies to provide better conditions and guidance to the population
The National Reporting Disease System (SINAN) is the best tool to collect some epidemiological variables of ophidism in the country5, underreporting exists due to failures during the completion of forms by health professionals, which results in the loss of valuable information for a more global understanding of ophidism as a public health problem1
Summary
Snakebites are a public health problem and are considered clinical emergencies, what makes studies in highincidence regions very important. In Brazil, approximately 29,000 cases of snakebite accidents are reported per year by the SINAN (Reporting Disease Information System) with an average of 129 reported deaths (0.44% lethality). The National Reporting Disease System (SINAN) is the best tool to collect some epidemiological variables of ophidism in the country, underreporting exists due to failures during the completion of forms by health professionals, which results in the loss of valuable information for a more global understanding of ophidism as a public health problem. In the Brazilian Amazon there are the largest number of reports of snakebite accidents per year and the highest percentage of cases reported among children and adolescents between 10 and 19 years old, corresponding to 23.2% of victims. The less time elapses between the snakebite accident and the onset of serotherapy, the less likely it is that complications and sequelae will develop, as well as the evolution to death
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