Authors' objectives: In Europe, snakebites are rare medical emergency cases, but they are sometimes severe and with complications. Despite a great and wide health care offer, a better understanding of the epidemiology of the ophidian poisoning as well as the diverse therapeutic management would help to know the gaps and the opportunities to precise the most urgent needs. A good way to achieve the objective is carrying an expert meeting on the issue.

Authors' recommendations: According to the experts children and males are population more affected by snakebite. The bites occur mainly in rural areas and are connected with agricultural, pleasure and/or sport activities. They usually happen in spring and summer seasons. The clinical symptoms of viper bites are homogenous throughout Europe. For the evaluation of the viper bite at a continental level, there is a certain consensus in using the gradation table published in 1992 by Audebert et al with a scale from grade 0 to III. All snake bite requires medical assistance. The clinical management in Spain is very similar in every hospital. Depending on the clinical features and the severity of the bite, analgesic and update antitetanus can be applied until grade I, then keep observing the symptoms evolution. If the patient presents grade II or III, the administration of the antivenom must be asses. Prompt use of the antivenom is recommended, if it is possible before the ten hours after the bite, and always intravenous. Inmunotherapy indications would be particularly important in children and pregnant woman because of the increased risk of venom complications within these vulnerable populations, due to the excellent tolerance for newer antivenoms. Nowadays four are the antivenoms commercialized in four countries in Europe.Depending on the countries, these products are available within the hospital environment or in pharmacies with or without distribution restrictions. However, although its indication is an object of a general consensus, several elements, such as the doses and the time limits for the administration not registered properly, explains the limits of distribution among the european countries as well as a heterogeneous utilization.

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2012

URL for published report: http://gesdoc.isciii.es/gesdoccontroller?action=download&id=15/03/2013-1e8b2cdb4b

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Spain

Organisation Name: Agencia de Evaluacion de Tecnologias Sanitarias

Contact Address: Instituto de Salud "Carlos III", Calle Sinesio Delgado 6, Pabellon 4, 28029 Madrid, Spain. Tel: +34 9 1 822 2005; Fax: +34 9 1 387 7841;

Contact Name: Luis M. Sánchez Gómez

Contact Email: luism.sanchez@isciii.es

Copyright: Agencia de Evaluacion de Tecnologias Sanitarias (AETS)