Acute kidney injury (AKI) is the main cause of death for victims of hematoxic snakebites. A few studies have described improvement in AKI rates in snakebite cases, but the reasons for the improvement have not been investigated. Eighty-six patients with Protobothrops flavoviridis bites admitted to a single center from January 2003 through March 2014 were included in the study. Clinical variables, including age, sex, blood pressure (BP), and serum creatinine (S-Cre), on admission were compared between patients with and without AKI. One patient died of disseminated intravascular coagulation following AKI (mortality rate 1.1%). Six patients developed AKI with rhabdomyolysis. Systolic BP, S-Cre, serum creatine kinase, white blood cell count, and platelet count differed significantly between the AKI and non-AKI groups (P = 0.01). Three of the six patients were physically challenged to a degree that made it difficult for them to move or communicate, and these difficulties likely exacerbated the severity of snakebite complications. Our study demonstrated that the risk of snakebite-induced AKI for physically challenged patients was high. To further reduce mortality due to snakebite-induced AKI, we need to make it possible for physically challenged patients to receive first aid sooner.
© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.