Admissions for suspected snake bite to the Perth adult teaching hospitals, 1979 to 1988

Abstract

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of snake bite in Perth, and the likelihood of envenomation. Design: Information from case notes was retrospectively analysed. Setting: Emergency medicine, teaching hospitals. Patients: All patients admitted to the three adult teaching hospitals in Perth for suspected snake bite from 1979 to 1988. Main outcome measure: Systemic envenomation, was accepted as present if there were definite symptoms, signs or laboratory evidence (vomiting, abdominal pain, ptosis, convulsions, difficulty with breathing or swallowing, coagulopathy, haemolysis, rhabdomyolysis or renal failure). Results: Ninety-nine patients were definitely bitten, with 53 envenomed, including..