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Severe coagulopathy after a bite from a ‘harmless’ snake (Rhabdophis subminiatus)
Author(s) -
SMEETS R. E. H.,
MELMAN P. G.,
HOFFMANN J. J. M. L.,
MULDER A. W.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of internal medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.625
H-Index - 160
eISSN - 1365-2796
pISSN - 0954-6820
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2796.1991.tb00455.x
Subject(s) - coagulopathy , medicine , bleeding diathesis , envenomation , diathesis , venom , disseminated intravascular coagulation , hemorrhagic diathesis , fibrinogen , consumptive coagulopathy , snake venom , ophidia , coagulation , dermatology , intensive care medicine , surgery , immunology , ecology , platelet , biology
. European physicians may occasionally be confronted with cases of snake venom poisoning. The increasing interest in snakes as pets has unfortunately resulted in the importation of a number of venomous snakes. We here report the third known case in the medical literature of a patient who was exposed to severe coagulopathy after being bitten by a ‘harmless’ ringsnake (Rhabdophis subminiatus) . The prolonged bleeding diathesis and the complete depletion of fibrinogen observed in our patient are consistent with the presence of a factor X activator in the venom, as has been described in a murine model. In agreement with the two previous case reports, we found no evidence of severe organ damage, despite active intravascular coagulation.