Baseline characteristics, laboratory features, treatment and outcome of children with snake bite
| Variable | All patients (n=110) |
|---|---|
| Age (years) (median, IQR) | 7 (4, 11) |
| Male gender | 76 (69) |
| Severe malnutrition | 28 (26) |
| Time of bite (night) | 66 (60) |
| Prehospital treatment | |
| Use of local treatment | 37 (34) |
| Use of tourniquet | 60 (54) |
| Received treatment in the primary care facility before referral | 68 (61) |
| PIM score (median, IQR) | −1.48 (−2.2, −0.8) |
| Signs and symptoms at admission | |
| Vomiting | 73 (65) |
| Local swelling | 63 (57) |
| Shock | 24 (22) |
| Acute kidney injury | 37 (34) |
| Type of envenomation* | |
| Predominantly haematotoxic | 72 (64) |
| Predominantly neurotoxic | 20 (18) |
| Predominantly local | 18 (16) |
| Snake species | |
| Vipera russeli | 16 (15) |
| Echis carinatus | 42 (38) |
| Bungarus caerulus | 11 (10) |
| Naja naja | 10 (9) |
| Unidentified | 29 (26) |
| Investigations | |
| Abnormal 20 min WBCT test at admission | 61 (55) |
| Admission Hb (mean, SD) | 9.7 (2.3) |
| Creatinine (mg/dl) (median, IQR) | 0.6 (0.5, 0.6) |
| Bite to SAV administration time (h) (median, IQR) | 5 (3, 8) |
| Dose of SAV administered (vials) (median, IQR) | 15 (10, 19) |
| Haematotoxic (median, IQR) | 15 (10, 18) |
| Neurotoxic (median, IQR) | 18 (15, 22) |
| Local symptoms (median, IQR) | 15 (8, 16) |
| SAV reaction | 44 (40) |
| Hypotension | 9 (8) |
| Outcome | |
| Discharge | 83 (75) |
| Died | 14 (13) |
| Disability | 13 (12) |
Data are expressed as n (%) unless otherwise indicated.
*Predominant manifestation.
Hb, haemoglobin; PIM, Paediatric Index of Mortality; SAV, snake antivenom; WBCT, whole blood clotting time.