Retrospective Hospital-Based Cohort Study on Risk Factors of Poor Outcome in Pediatric Snake Envenomation.

Abstract

Among Southeast Asian countries, India has reported the highest mortality due to snakebite envenomation. To identify the risk factors of poor outcome (mortality/mechanical ventilation/renal replacement therapy-RRT) in pediatricsnakebite envenomation. Case records of children aged less than 13 years withsnakebite envenomation admitted between June2009 and July 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. Medical records of the patient died within 6 h, those required RRT before administration of antisnake venom (ASV), and those with unknown bites were excluded. A total of 308 patients were included. One hundred eighty (58.4%) had hemotoxic, and 128 (41.6%) had neuroparalytic envenomation. Median (interquartile range) bite to ASV time was 3 (2-6) h. Seventy-five (24.4%) patients received ASV within 6 h of bite. Poor outcomes occurred in 128 (41.6%), and 36 (11.7%) patients died. On binary logistic analysis (adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval), age ≤5 years (2.97, 1.28-6.90), walking (6.15, 2.88-13.17), playing (3.36, 1.64-6.88), no tourniquet (2.39, 1.25-4.57), time to ASV more than 6 h (2.71, 1.45-5.06), fang marks (2.22, 1.21-4.07), neurotoxic envenomation (3.01, 1.11-8.13) and additional ASV dose (8.41, 2.99-23.60) were independently predicted the poor outcome (Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of fit model p = 0.135; overall percentage of the model is 72.2% and R-square = 0.28). Age below 5 years, activity at/after the bite (playing/walking), no tourniquet, a longer bite to ASV time, presence of fang marks, neurotoxic envenomation and need for additional ASV dose were independent predictors of poor outcome in pediatricsnakebite envenomation.