Contributor: Meghan Hurley, MD

Educational Pearls:

Venomous snakes in the United States include species from the family Elapidae and subfamily Crotalinae
In prehospital setting, elevate the bitten extremity and transport to hospital immediately

Do not attempt interventions with the bite site

Monitor for progression of swelling past any joint line, systemic symptoms or lab abnormalities for 8-12 hours

Symptoms may present up to hours after bite
Crotalinae venom has heme toxicity and may present with lab pattern of DIC

Treatment for all symptoms is antivenom

If symptoms persist or progress, continue to treat with antivenom

Compartment syndrome is rare with snake bites

References

Ruha AM, Kleinschmidt KC, Greene S, et al. The Epidemiology, Clinical Course, and Management of Snakebites in the North American Snakebite Registry. J Med Toxicol. 2017;13(4):309-320. doi:10.1007/s13181-017-0633-5

Aziz H, Rhee P, Pandit V, Tang A, Gries L, Joseph B. The current concepts in management of animal (dog, cat, snake, scorpion) and human bite wounds. J Trauma Acute Care Surg. 2015;78(3):641-648. doi:10.1097/TA.0000000000000531

Summarized by Kirsten Hughes, MS4 | Edited by John Spartz, MD, & Erik Verzemnieks, MD

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The Magnifichristmas Special w/ Damon Garcia