Immediate radical fang mark ablation may allow treatment of japanese viper bite without antivenom

Administration of antivenom is currently the standard treatment for snake envenomation. However, it can sometimes cause anaphylactic reactions including urticaria, bronchospasm and hypotension. Furthermore, it may also provoke life-threatening complications, even though the mortality rate is less th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases
Main Authors: M Fujioka, K Oka, R Kitamura, A Yakabe, M Ito
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: SciELO 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-91992009000100016
https://doaj.org/article/d86e77ce5ce84c289e63235771885d9f
Description
Summary:Administration of antivenom is currently the standard treatment for snake envenomation. However, it can sometimes cause anaphylactic reactions including urticaria, bronchospasm and hypotension. Furthermore, it may also provoke life-threatening complications, even though the mortality rate is less than 1%. In this study, we present a new treatment - immediate radical fang mark ablation - that was successfully performed on five victims of Japanese viper bites without antivenom use. In these five victims of venomous snakebites, surgical debridement was immediately performed. Two patients received a free-skin graft to resurface their wounds while three of them healed conservatively (i.e. by ointment treatment without surgery). After treatment, all patients could return to work. Immediate radical ablation is a recommended procedure that can reduce the amount of venom in tissues, which consequently decreases inflammatory reactions and reduces the necessity for antivenom.