Impact of Snakebite Envenomation on Coagulation Parameters: A Study in a Konkan Tertiary Hospital

Background:The Konkan region situated in western India, is a tropical and subtropical area with diverse flora and fauna.Unfortunately, it is also the home to various poisonous and non-poisonous snakes.Snake bites are a relatively significant health hazard with most of the patients being treated with household remedies or under some local quack due to illiteracy.The present study aimed to evaluate patients' Prothrombin time (PT), International normalised ratio (INR) & Platelet count during hospitalization for their prognosis and overall management.Methods: This is a record-based observational study of patients' lab parameters such as PT, INR & Platelets during the period from June 2023 to May 2024 in a tertiary care hospital ICU, where all parameters tested with quality control and having an adequate supply of ASV & blood products.Results: A total of 61 cases of snake bite cases recorded with male preponderance (70.4%).The most affected age group was 21-60 years (60.6%).It is found that most cases belong to vasculotoxic snakes (80%) while only 20% of cases were of neurotoxic snake bites. Conclusion:As per the literature, vasculotoxic snakes are prone to cause DIC with a deranged coagulation profile as observed in the present study conducted in the Konkan region.As most of the cases are successfully treated with ASV and blood products, coagulation parameters play an important role in their dosage calculation & overall hospital stay.