The American journal of emergency medicine
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Case Reports
Successful use of anti-venom cross-neutralization effects in the clinical management of Shore Pit Viper envenomation.
As the landscape becomes more urbanized, snakebites have increasingly become uncommon presentations to the emergency departments in Singapore, while snakebites causing significant envenomation are even rarer. In this case report, we discuss a 55-year-old man who had significant envenomation from a Shore Pit Viper (Trimeresurus Purpureomaculatus) and who was successfully treated with haemato-toxic polyvalent antivenom (HPAV). He initially presented with pain, swelling and bleeding over his wound. ⋯ He did not manifest any adverse effects and was discharged uneventfully about 72 h after the snakebite. The cross-neutralization potential of HPAV for Shore Pit Viper (Trimeresurus Purpureomaculatus) venom in this case study suggests that there may be a possible common underlying chemical structure and pathophysiology among the venom proteins of various snake species. Given that Trimeresurus-specific antivenom is unavailable in most countries, this cross-neutralization strategy deserves further consideration and evaluation in similar circumstances.
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To investigate the relationship between pericarotid fat density measured in carotid CTA and vulnerable carotid plaque. ⋯ Pericarotid fat density may serve as an imaging biomarker in predicting acute cerebrovascular ischemic events.