Clinical Profile and outcome of envenomous snake-bite at tertiary care centre in western Maharashtra

Background: Venomous snake bite is a common and frequently devastating environmental and occupational disease, especially in rural areas of Maharashtra India. Aims and Objectives: To determine the clinical profile and outcome of snakebite cases in rural western Maharashtra. Material and Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted over one year period (January 2009 to December 2009) at a tertiary health care centre in Maharashtra. Results: Out of 167 admitted snakebite 103 (61.67%) were complicated snake bites. Total 88 (85.43%) patients were with vasculo-toxic snake bite. Total 15 (14.56%) patients were with neuroparalytic snakebite. Total 35 (39.77%) patients out of 88 with vasculotoxic snakebite developed local cellulitis requiring fasciotomy and or debridement, 17 (19.31%) patients had clinical and laboratory parameters favoring DIC. Total 12 (13.63%) patients had ARF, one developed AMI and one developed cortical venous sinus thrombosis (CVT). Out of 88 patients with vasculotoxic snakebite 2 died with case fatality rate of 2.27% (2/88). Out of 15 patients with neuroparalytic snake bite 13 (86.66%) required artificial ventilatory support and one patient developed delayed peripheral neuropathy. Overall mortality was 1.94% (2/103). The needle to ASV time was positively correlated with duration of hospital admission, complications and mortality (‘p’ < 0.02). Conclusion: Snakebite is a common life-threatening emergency in the study area. Delay in hospitalization is associated with poor prognosis and increased mortality rate due to consumptive coagulopathy, renal failure and respiratory failure. Unusual complications like AMI, CVT and delayed peripheral neuropathy were observed in present study.