Dec 12, 2022
Contributor: Meghan Hurley, MD
Educational Pearls:
- Venomous snakes in the United States include species from the family Elapidae and subfamily Crotalinae
- In prehospital setting, elevate the bitten extremity and transport to hospital immediately
- Do not attempt interventions with the bite site
- Monitor for progression of swelling past any joint line, systemic symptoms or lab abnormalities for 8-12 hours
- Symptoms may present up to hours after bite
- Crotalinae venom has heme toxicity and may present with lab pattern of DIC
- Treatment for all symptoms is antivenom
- If symptoms persist or progress, continue to treat with antivenom
- Compartment syndrome is rare with snake bites
References
Ruha AM, Kleinschmidt KC, Greene S, et al. The Epidemiology, Clinical Course, and Management of Snakebites in the North American Snakebite Registry. J Med Toxicol. 2017;13(4):309-320. doi:10.1007/s13181-017-0633-5
Aziz H, Rhee P, Pandit V, Tang A, Gries L, Joseph B. The current concepts in management of animal (dog, cat, snake, scorpion) and human bite wounds. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2015;78(3):641-648. doi:10.1097/TA.0000000000000531
Summarized by Kirsten Hughes, MS4 | Edited by John Spartz, MD, & Erik Verzemnieks, MD
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