WHO Snakebite Treatment Group Oxford
For over 100 years it has been accepted by all medical professionals in India that there are only four venomous snakes which are capable of causing medically significant envenomation with life threatening symptoms. These species comprise the so called ‘Big Four’ of Common Cobra, Common Krait, Russells Viper and Saw Scaled Viper. Whilst the King Cobra and Sea Snakes are known to possess venom capable of causing life threatening symptoms, the number of bites per year rarely exceeds 2 or 3. These are therefore not medically significant.
The Pit Viper family, of which there are approximately 13 species in India, were also thought to be only mildly venomous and incapable of causing life threatening symptoms. Work carried out at Little Flower Hospital in Angamaly, Kerala has however established that at least one member of the Pit Viper family, the Hump-nosed Pit Viper (Hypnale hypnale) is capable of causing coagulopathy and acute renal failure. The reason it has escaped attention previously is that it was being systematically mis-identified as the Saw Scaled Viper (Echis carinatus)
This presentation will outline symptomatology and epidemiology of bites, as well as treatment protocols for dealing with this hitherto neglected and underestimated species.
