A clinical study on snake bite.

Kim, Wan Bo; Keum, Byung Hwa; Lee, Ge Sung; Kwak, Ki Woo; Lee, Hye Ree; Youn, Bang Bu

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Academy of Family Medicine 1991;12(7):22-29.
Published online July 1, 1991.

A clinical study on snake bite.

Wan Bo Kim, Byung Hwa Keum, Ge Sung Lee, Ki Woo Kwak, Hye Ree Lee, Bang Bu Youn

사교상 환자에 대한 임상적 고찰

김완보, 금병화, 이기성, 곽기우, 이혜리, 윤방부

연세대학교의과대학 가정의학교실

Abstract

A clinical analysis was made by 83 cases of snake bitten patients who received the emergent treatment at the Yong In Severance Hospital from Jan. 1988. to Dec. 1989. The results were as follows;
1. Sex ratio was 1.9:1 and the age distribution was the most prevalent in the 7th decade.
2. The seasonal distribution was frequent in July(30.2%), and the most common bitten site of the body was the finger(42.2%).
3. The one fang mark was observed in 39 cases(47.0%).
4. In 40 cases(48.2%), it took within one hour for the first aid treatment, and in 77 cases (92.8%) of studied patients were arrived at emergency room within 24 hours.
5. The tourniquet was applied in 21 cases(25.3%).
6. The most frequent general symptom or sign was dizziness(38.6%), followed by visual disturbance(15.7%), fever(10.8%), nausea or vomiting(10.8%), and dyspnea(10.8%), and the most frequent local symptom of sign was pain(95.2%), followed by swelling(85.5%), skin color change(8.4%) and bleeding from wound site(2.4%).
7. In laboratory findings, coagulation time was prolonged in 13 cases(86.7%) of 15 cases who were performed this test, and elevated SGOT was seen in 24 cases(55.8%) of 43 cases.
8. The treatment was consisted of the medical and the surgical treatment. In medical treatment, 66 cases(79.5%) were received the tetanus antitoxin and 79 cases(95.2%) received antivenin. In surgical treatment, 73 cases(87.9%) received skin incision and irrigation, 7 cases(8.4%) received skin incision and suction.
9. There were 18(21.7%) complicated cases, the phlegmon was 10 cases(12.0%) followed by lymphadenitis in 5 cases(6.0%), arthritis, abscess and gastroenteritis in 1 case(1.2%).