Arch Hand Microsurg.  2022 Jun;27(2):161-165. 10.12790/ahm.22.0008.

Treatment of a rattlesnake bite on the finger using alternative antivenom management and reconstructive surgery: a case report

• Park KC
• Choi CY
• Nam SM
• Park ES

• KMID: 2531923
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12790/ahm.22.0008

Abstract

Snake bite may be observed from localized symptoms to systemic complications. In most cases, the symptoms as well as the lab course improved by conservative treatment. Therefore, it is recommended that enough of the antivenom be administered initially, and the hospital should be aware of the most common envenomations to obtain the most needed antivenoms. A case of 22-year-old woman bitten on her finger by a Estern Diamondback Rattlesnake. In Korea, there is no antivenom for rattlesnake, so freeze-dried Agkistrodon halys Antivenom was used alternatively. After 10 days of the injury, laboratory finding was almost normalized. At that time, the digit had undergone massive skin necrosis. The wound achieved total healing at postoperative 2 months after flap coverage. This case of rattlesnake bite, which was first described in Korea, present a management with antivenom to other family of snake, and successful surgical treatment.

Keyword

Fingers; Snake bites; Surgical flaps

Figure

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  Fig. 1. (A) Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). (B) Initial presentation of the patient. The digit had a dusky appearance in 12 hours after injury. Reused from the public domain of TimVickers via Wikimedia Commons.

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  Fig. 2. The appearance of skin necrosis 10 days after injury.

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  Fig. 3. Intraoperative finding. After the amputation of the middle phalanx head, the reverse homodigital artery-based island flap was performed for resurfacing with the identification of the pedicle.

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  Fig. 4. Postoperative 2 months finding. The wound was totally healed.

Reference

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