Fasciotomy in Snake Bite Victims and Renal Outcome in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Snake bite is a neglected tropical disease. More than 50% of death due to snake bite in the world occurs in India. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the cause of morbidity and mortality in viper bite. The compartment syndrome is a rare manifestation of snake bite. There is paucity of data on the role of fasciotomy in viper bite.Methods: A prospective observational study was done in patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in southIndia, with snake bite-associated acute kidney injury, from March 2018 to March 2020.Results: Sixteen % of patients underwent fasciotomy following snake bite. We compared the renal outcome of 21 patients, who had undergone fasciotomy following snake bite, with 65 patients with dialysis-requiring acute kidney injury following snake bite. The patients in the fasciotomy group had a lower peak serum creatinine (5.3 mg/dl), needed less number of dialysis sessions (3.9) and were on lesser number of days (6.1) on dialysis following snake bite, when compared with the group not needing fasciotomy.Conclusion: In snake bite patients presenting with compartment syndrome, fasciotomy should be considered in view of favourable renal outcome.