Abstract
La mordedura de serpiente del género Bothriechis es frecuente en regiones de Colombia como el eje cafetero. Debido a sus costumbres arborícolas y su actitud defensiva, por lo general estas serpientes muerden a agricultores en sus miembros superiores y rostro. En Colombia, la incidencia de accidentes provocados por este tipo de serpiente aún no ha sido estimada con exactitud, ya que existen deficiencias en el registro de los mismos, así como desconocimiento de este reptil por parte del personal de salud que trabaja en su área de influencia. En este artículo se presentan dos casos de mordeduras por B. schlegelii ocurridos en Colombia en 2015. El primero, un hombre de 55 años con mordedura en mano izquierda, que desarrolló parestesias y edema hasta antebrazo sin otros hallazgos y que fue sometido a tratamiento con antivipérido polivalente de Probiol®, con resolución completa del evento. Por su parte, el segundo caso es el de un hombre de 62 años que fue mordido en mano izquierda, presentando emesis, diaforesis, edema hasta el hombro y tiempos de coagulación prolongados, sin sangrado; el paciente requirió ocho ampollas de antivipérido polivalente del Instituto Nacional de Salud (Colombia), con lo que se logró normalización de tiempos de coagulación y resolución completa del evento.
Highlights
The name Bothriechis schlegelii derives from the Greek word bothros, which means “pit” and echis, “snake”, referring to the loreal pit that is located between the nostrils and eyes on each side of the face, and after the German zoologist Hermann Schlegel [1]
From two to four small superciliar scales, in the way of “eyelashes”. It feeds on baby birds, lizards, frogs and rodents, inhabits tropical forests and corn and coffee crops, at altitudes ranging from 0 to 2600 m; the viper reaches the highest altitude in Colombia [2,3]
55-year-old patient, from Pensilvania, Caldas, who was bitten on the back of the left hand by envenomation caused by the bite of the snake bothriechis schlegelii a 25 cm, thin, triangular head snake during his work in a coffee crop (Figure 1 and 2)
Summary
The name Bothriechis schlegelii derives from the Greek word bothros, which means “pit” and echis, “snake”, referring to the loreal pit that is located between the nostrils and eyes on each side of the face, and after the German zoologist Hermann Schlegel [1]. The variety of its colors (emerald or dark green, yellow, brown and black), helps it mimic its surroundings It has prehensile tail, and from two to four small superciliar scales, in the way of “eyelashes”. 55-year-old patient, from Pensilvania, Caldas, who was bitten on the back of the left hand by envenomation caused by the bite of the snake bothriechis schlegelii a 25 cm, thin, triangular head snake during his work in a coffee crop (Figure 1 and 2). He was referred to a nearby hospital where three vials of polyvalent antivenom Probiol® were administered intravenously; afterwards, the patient developed fever, which was controlled with acetaminophen. After finding an alteration in clotting, the patient was given two additional vials of polyvalent antivenin, for a total of eight, and was referred to a third level hospital level in Ibagué. The patient’s condition improved, and coagulation tests were normal 48 hours after the event; he was discharged after 72 hours of observation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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.
