Evaluation of clinical features of snakebite in patients referred to Razi Hospital in Qaemshahr City

Abstract

Background

Snakebites are one of the most important health issues globally that cause morbidity, discomfort, and even death. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical features of snakebite in patients referred to Razi Hospital in Ghaemshahr city.

Methods

In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 325 snakebite patients admitted to Razi Hospital in Qaemshahr city between the years 2014 and 2019 were studied. All information was extracted from patients' medical records. SPSS software version 25 was used to analyze the data.

Results

Patients ranged in age from 9 to 71 years with a mean of 36.6 ± 10.7 years. 238 cases (73.2%) were male and 87 cases (26.8%) were female. The highest frequency of bites with 162 cases (49.8%) was related to the lower extremities and summer with 122 cases (37.5%) had the highest frequency of bites. The highest frequency of local symptoms was related to bruising (17.8%), erythema (16.9%), and pain (15.7%), and the highest frequency of systemic symptoms were related to weakness (24%), and sweating (14.2%). For 88.2% of cases, antivenom was used. 33.8% of the patients received antibiotics, mostly ciprofloxacin + clindamycin.

Conclusion

The results obtained in this study showed that common local complications in patients included bruising, erythema, and edema and systemic complications such as weakness, subcutaneous bleeding, and sweating. Antivenom was used for most of the cases and no deaths were reported. Also, unscientific actions such as incision and suction are still performed in cases that require more awareness and training.