Thrombocytopenia after brown snake envenomation.
The marked coagulation disturbances in patients after severe envenomation by brown snakes (genus Pseudonaja) were examined with particular emphasis on the sequential platelet counts. The common finding (in almost half the studied patients) of a progressive depletion in platelet numbers leading to thrombocytopenia, which in one case was severe, suggests that thrombocytopenia should be considered as a possible complicating factor in the management of these patients. This trend was not a feature of the cases that involved bites by tiger snakes. The finding of this study in relation to envenomation by brown snakes is in contrast to the widely held opinion that thrombocytopenia is not an outcome of snake-bites in Australia.
Morling
A C
AC
Haematology Department, Royal Perth Hospital, WA.
Marshall
L R
LR
Herrmann
R P
RP
D001315:Australia; D006801:Humans; D010976:Platelet Count; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012909:Snake Bites / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000209:etiology*