The legitimacy of rattlesnake bites in central Arizona.
Previous authors have classified poisonous snake bites as being legitimate or illegitimate, depending on whether the victim was taking unnecessary risks with a snake before being bitten. We reviewed medical records of 86 consecutive rattlesnake bite victims cared for at a single medical center to determine legitimacy of snake bites. A bite was considered illegitimate if, before being bitten, the victim recognized an encounter with a snake but did not attempt to move away from the snake. A legitimate bite was said to have occurred if a person was bitten before an encounter with a snake was recognized or was bitten while attempting to move away from a snake. The study group was made up of 75 male (87.2%) and 11 female (12.8%) victims. Seventy-four percent were 18 to 50 years old, and 15% had been bitten previously. Only 43.4% of all bites were considered legitimate, and pet (captive) snakes accounted for almost one third of all illegitimate bites. The ingestion of alcoholic beverages was associated with 56.5% of illegitimate bites versus 16.7% of legitimate bites (P less than .001). While 74.4% of bites were to upper extremities, only 27% of upper extremity bites were legitimate. All bites to the lower extremity were legitimate (P less than .001). Of 14 individuals bitten by pet snakes, all were men and 64.3% were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the bite.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Curry
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SC
Good Samaritan Medical Center, Department of Medical Toxicology, Phoenix, Arizona 85006.
Horning
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D
Brady
P
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Requa
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R
Kunkel
D B
DB
Vance
M V
MV
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001130:Arizona; D002648:Child; D003435:Crotalid Venoms / Q000506:poisoning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012909:Snake Bites / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012911:Snakes
D003435:Crotalid Venoms