Nocturnal snake bite - A Challenge to diagnosis and treatment

Abstract

Snake envenomation is a routinely occurring life threatening emergency in tropical countries like India. Not all cases of snake bites will have a classical presentation, resulting in delay in diagnosis and treatment with disastrous consequences. An apparently healthy 14 yr old boy was brought in a moribund state with no proper history. He was treated for neurotoxic snake envenomation and found to have recovered. The mortality and morbidity associated with the diverse presentation of snake bites can be decreased if a proper history of the patient’s background and habits combined with a thorough knowledge of the specific features of the regional snakes are kept in mind.

Keywords

• Snake bite
• Krait
• Neurotoxin