Cerebral Infarction Following Snakebite

ABSTRACT

There are only three species of poisonous snakes in Korea. Deaths from poisonous snakebites are rare in Korea, but the World Health Organization estimates that as many as 30,000 to 40,000 death occur following venomous snakebites. The most important factor for determining a prognosis for a victim of a venomous snakebite is the grade of envenomation, because the grade of envenomation is highly correlated with severe complications such as disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, a bleeding tendency, acute renal failure, pulmonary edema, and sepsis. Also, bleeding complications with the central nervous system are well known to occur following a snakebite. However, non hemorrhagic manifestations, such as ischemic stroke, are extremely rare. We report the case of 72-year-old male who suffered a cerebral infarction following a snakebite. We also present a review of the literature of possible mechanisms for the cerebral infarction.