Infant death after nose-horned viper ( Vipera ammodytes ammodytes) bite in Croatia: A case report

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) Vol. 56; no. 8; pp. 1506 - 1509
• Main Authors: Lukšić, Boris, Čulić, Viktor, Stričević, Luka, Brizić, Ivica, Poljak, Nikola K., Tadić, Zoran
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2010; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal poisons toxicology. Antivenoms; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiotoxicity; Coagulopathy; Croatia; DIC; Fatal Outcome; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Humans; Infant; Male; Medical sciences; Platelet diseases and coagulopathies; Snake Bites - diagnosis; Snake Bites - therapy; Snake venom; Snakebite; Toxicology; Viper venom; Vipera ammodytes ammodytes; Viperidae; Europe; Croatia; Snake venom; Vipera ammodytes ammodytes; Snakebite; Cardiotoxicity; Viper venom; Coagulopathy; DIC; Human; Disseminated intravascular coagulopathy; Toxicity; Bite; Animal origin; Infant; Cardiovascular disease; Hemopathy; Ophidia; Case study; Vertebrata; Heart disease; Nose; Venom; Death; Reptilia
• ISSN: 0041-0101; 1879-3150
• DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2010.08.009

A case of a 45-day-old male infant, bitten on the neck by nose-horned viper ( Vipera ammodytes ammodytes), is reported. This episode occurred while the baby was on a picnic with his parents in a hill near a town in southern Croatia. In spite of immediate arrival at hospital, where antivenom was administrated and all the necessary treatment measures were carried out, the infant died 6 h following the bite. The cause of death was severe and progressive hyperkalaemia, massive intravascular haemolysis, severe coagulopathy and myocardial dysfunction.