Abstract
Simple SummarySnake bites in companion animals are a major issue and cause life-threatening hemorrhage. Classical coagulation tests are performed to diagnose snake venom-induced coagulopathy; however, these tests often fail to detect early coagulopathy. This in vitro study using snake venom and canine blood aimed to explore the efficacy of thromboelastography, which enabled a comprehensive assessment of the coagulation process, compared with classical coagulation tests. Our results identified the usefulness of thromboelastography in detecting early venom-induced coagulopathy compared with classical coagulation tests. This finding may facilitate decision making in relation to the immediate initiation of anti-venom treatment or suspending unnecessary anti-venom administration, which often causes adverse reactions.Snake envenomation may lead to venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy (VICC), usually diagnosed by classical coagulation tests (CCTs), such as prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). However, the results of CCTs are frequently normal in the initial stages, which may delay anti-venom treatments. Thromboelastography (TEG) is a point-of-care and real-time diagnostic tool that enables a comprehensive assessment of the coagulation process. This in vitro study aimed to determine concentration-dependent changes in canine blood caused by Gloydius ussuriensis (G. ussuriensis) envenomation using TEG and CCTs. Lyophilized G. ussuriensis venom was reconstructed using mouse intravenous lethal dose 50 (LD50iv) and serially diluted to 25% LD50iv, 50% LD50iv, and 75% LD50iv to reproduce VICC at different concentrations. Normal saline was used for the control. We compared TEG values of the reaction time (R), kinetic time (K), rate of clot formation (α-angle), maximum amplitude (MA), fibrinolysis at 30 min (LY30), and global strength of the clot (G) with those of PT, aPTT, fibrinogen, and platelet counts (PLTs). Most TEG parameters, except R and LY30, demonstrated statistically significant changes compared with the control at all concentrations. CCTs, except PLTs, revealed significant changes at ≥50% LD50iv. Thus, TEG could be a useful diagnostic strategy for early VICC and preventing treatment delay.
Highlights
To avoid the effects of external coagulation disturbances, we considered the following exclusion criteria: a history of anemia or bleeding disorder, a precedent use of steroids or anticoagulants in the past 30 days, a precedent use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the past 7 days, or a history of significant medical comorbidity
We intended to evaluate the efficacies of TEG versus classical coagulation tests (CCTs) in determining coagulation parameters following canine blood envenomation using simulated G. ussuriensis venom
The results were consistent with venom-induced consumptive coagulopathy (VICC) caused by natural pit viper envenoming
Summary
Health Organization (WHO), 7400 snake bites are reported daily, resulting in an average of 300 casualties globally [2]. According to the big data availed by the Health. Insurance Review & Assessment Service in South Korea, an average of 2580 venomous snake bites occur annually in South Korea [3]. There are no official reports on snake bites in veterinary medicine in South Korea. In North America, snake bites in dogs and cats are approximately 30-fold the number of human cases [4,5]. Almost equal numbers of snake bites in humans and companion animals have been reported in Australia [6]. The estimated number of snake bites in dogs and cats in South
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
