Prince Sreekumar Pius1, John Vinoj2, Indhuja3, Premkumar4, Akila Diwakaran5
BACKGROUND
Snakebite is one of the common medical emergency encountered in Kanyakumari district of Tamilnadu. Although majority of the snakebites are non-poisonous, delay in seeking medical care and administration of Anti-snake venom can result in serious mortality and morbidity.
METHODS
To determine the demographic characteristics of all snakebite cases, a retrospective study was conducted on all snakebite cases admitted in the Emergency Department of Kanyakumari Government Medical College Hospital for the period of January 2013- December 2015.
RESULTS
Out of the 866 cases admitted during the study period, 69.97% were males. The 20–49 years age group constituted about 55.43% of total cases. Cases were evenly distributed throughout the year with slight preponderance of cases in the last quarters of the year {October to December-250 (28.86%); July to September-238 (27.48%)}. The time interval between the bite and seeking medical assistance was between 1 to 4 hours in most of the cases-569 cases (65.7%). The case fatality rate was higher in females 2.7% compared to males 1.1%.
CONCLUSION
Snakebite is a common medical emergency in this area and appropriate use of antivenom, early referral when required, proper education and awareness will help to reduce the mortality from snakebite.
