Management of a snake bite in the field

Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps
J Krysa-ClarkT A Waterworth

Abstract

We present a case of an 18-year-old British soldier who was bitten by an unidentified snake whilst stationed on the Iran/Iraq border. He was evacuated to the closest Role 2+ medical facility. Within 2 days he had developed bruising and a haematoma at the bite site. An improvised measure of clotting status, the bleeding time, was employed, showing that his blood was severely anticoagulated. He was transferred to the Field Hospital where coagulation screen revealed a DIC picture. He required 5 units of cryoprecipitate and 2 doses of antivenom. This case report demonstrates the need for prompt evacuation to a Role 3 facility in such cases, whether symptomatic or not.

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Citations

Jun 30, 2009·Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock·Jasjit SinghAshish Goel
Oct 26, 2010·Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease·J P Hickey
Jan 24, 2013·Toxicon : Official Journal of the International Society on Toxinology·Mahdi Balali-MoodLeila Etemad
Apr 8, 2018·Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps·Daniel WilkinsL E M Lamb
Mar 12, 2013·Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps·Colin Wall

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