Fresh frozen plasma in the treatment of haemotoxic snake bites.

Abstract

Vipers inject mainly haemotoxins when they bite. This produces shock, capillary bleeding and coagulation changes. An early sign of viper bite poisoning is blood-stained spit, non-clotting blood and other haemorrhagic signs including oozing of blood from the injection site, bleeding from the gums and ecchymosis within half an hour to three hours of the bite, in severe cases, shock may develop