When to think about a Lachesis muta envenomation in the Western Brazilian Amazon: Lessons from a case report

ABSTRACT In the Brazilian Amazon, envenomations by lancehead pit vipers prevail across the region, while bushmaster (Lachesis muta) envenomations are rarely confirmed. Here, we described a moderate snakebite, diagnosed as a lancehead pit viper envenomation upon admission and treated with four vials...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
Main Authors: Jacqueline de Almeida Gonçalves Sachett, Ana Paula Saboia Marinho, Marizete Melo de Oliveira Santos, Hui Wen Fan, Paulo Sérgio Bernarde, Wuelton Marcelo Monteiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2022-09-01
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822022000100706&tlng=en
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT In the Brazilian Amazon, envenomations by lancehead pit vipers prevail across the region, while bushmaster (Lachesis muta) envenomations are rarely confirmed. Here, we described a moderate snakebite, diagnosed as a lancehead pit viper envenomation upon admission and treated with four vials of Bothrops antivenom. Blood remained unclottable for 4 days of hospitalization. On day 4, after admission, the patient presented pictures of the perpetrating snake to the hospital staff, which was identified as a Lachesis muta specimen. After administering 10 vials of Lachesis antivenom, blood became clottable 12 hours after treatment. The patient was discharged without complaints.
ISSN:1678-9849