Excelsior Correspondent
KATRA, Dec 21: Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital (SMVDNSH), Katra, has given a new lease of life to a person bitten by deadly Russell Viper snake bite.
The 53-year-old patient was brought to the hospital with a rare lung condition of pulmonary haemorrhage. There are very few cases reported in literature worldwide with lung bleeding after a snake bite.
The patient’s condition rapidly deteriorated in the form of breathing difficulty, profuse bleeding within the lungs and decreased level of consciousness. The patient was immediately incubated and given ventilator support. On investigations, he was found to be desaturating and his blood pressure was falling.
Looking at the rapidly deteriorating condition of the patient, Dr Bhanu Pratap Singh, Senior Consultant of Internal Medicine at SMVDNSH chose to give high dose corticosteroids along with other supportive measures. High dose corticosteroids have been reported in very few patients of snake bite with pulmonary haemorrhage as the cases are few and no vast literature is present. It has been reported that snake venom acts independently on lung parenchyma without affecting blood or coagulation profile and directly damages the lung alveoli. The patient recovered remarkably and came out of the ventilator after 2 days and his bleeding stopped.
Dr (Brig) Man Mohan Harjai, Chief Administrative Officer, SMVDNSH, said: “The patient who survived a bite from the deadly Russell Viper snake presented with severe lung bleeding and was a challenge to the treating physician, but due to collaborative effort of the team of doctors and paramedical staff, this patient has outlived.” He further added, “Most victims of snakebite either don’t have the availability of facilities or reach to a treatment center on time but our hospital has the infrastructure and consultants of repute to deal any life-threatening clinical condition 24×7.”
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