Pattern of Snake Bite Cases at Tertiary Health Care Centre and First Aid Treatment

Abstract

Introduction and Objectives: Snake bite is one ofthe public health problem often neglected, especially intropical and developing countries of the world. Demographic and clinical parameters changes in differentparts of the world. In India it is more prevalent in Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, etc. This studywas conducted in a tertiary health care centre in Maharashtra to demonstrate the epidemiology, managementand severity of snake bite as an acute medical emergency situation to create awareness regarding the first aidtreatment and to formulate policies for ASV availability.Materials and Method: Tertiary health care based retrospective study was conducted from June 2017 toJuly 2018 and data was collected, analyzed and presented as percentage.Results: In this present retrospective study a total of 131 cases of snake bites were observed in a tertiaryhealth care centre and the mortality rate was found to be 1.53%. More than 50% bites were of VasculotxicSnake leading to severe systemic complications in 15% of the victims and death of 2 patients, ASV wasrequired in 68% cases of snake bites.Conclusion: To lower the incidences of Snake bites, awareness and preventive measures such as avoidingtall grassy areas, keeping storage areas clear of rodents, removing rubbish, raise beds above floor level andavoiding areas known to harbor dangerous snakes. Use of gumboots and long pants for working outdoors isadvised. First aid treatment and assurance to patients are the most important primary management of Snakebites.