Dec 12, 2022
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
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- 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
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- 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
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- 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
