The Chinese guideline for management of snakebites
Rongde Lai, Shijiao Yan, Shijun Wang, Shuqing Yang, Zhangren Yan, Pin Lan, Yonggao Wang, Qi Li, Jinlong Wang, Wei Wang, Yuefeng Ma, Zijing Liang, Jianfeng Zhang, Ning Zhou, Xiaotong Han, Xinchao Zhang, Mao Zhang, Xiaodong Zhao, Guoqiang Zhang, Huadong Zhu, Xuezhong Yu, Chuanzhu Lyu
Table 2. Modified snakebite severity scale
Position Symptoms/Signs Score
Lungs No symptoms/signs 0
Difficulty in breathing, mild chest tightness, mild discomfort, breathing 20-25 times/min 1
Moderate respiratory distress (dyspnea, 26-40 breaths/min, use of auxiliary respiratory muscles) 2
Cyanosis, feeling of insufficient air, severe shortness of breath, or respiratory distress/failure 3
Cardiovascular No symptoms/signs 0
Heart rate 100-125 beats/min, palpitations, general fatigue, benign arrhythmia or hypertension 1
Heart rate 126-175 beats/min or hypotension (systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg) 2
Heart rate >175 beats/min or hypotension (systolic blood pressure <100 mmHg), malignant arrhythmia, or cardiac arrest 3
Local trauma No symptoms/signs (swelling or erythema around the teeth mark <2.5 cm) 0
Pain, swelling or bruising of the bite area <5.0-7.5 cm 1
Pain, swelling or bruising of the bite area not extending beyond half of the limb (7.5-50.0 cm) 2
Pain, swelling or bruising of the bite area extending over half of the limb (50-100 cm) 3
Pain, swelling or bruising beyond the limb (> 100 cm from the bite site) 4
Gastrointestinal tract No symptoms/signs 0
Abdominal pain, tenesmus, or nausea 1
Vomiting or diarrhea 2
Repeated vomiting, diarrhea, hematemesis, or hematochezia 3
Hematology No symptoms/signs 0
Mild changes in coagulation parameters (PT < 20 s, APTT < 50 s, platelet count (100-150) × 10⁹/L, fibrinogen 100-150 mg/dL) 1
Significantly abnormal coagulation parameters (PT 20-50 s, APTT 50-75 s, platelet count (50-100)×10⁹/L, fibrinogen 50-100 mg/dL) 2
Significantly abnormal coagulation parameters (PT 50-100 s, APTT 75-100 s, platelet count (20-50)×10⁹/L, fibrinogen <50 mg/dL) 3
Significantly abnormal coagulation parameters, accompanied by severe bleeding or spontaneous bleeding risk; PT or APTT undetectable, platelet < 20×10⁹/L, fibrinogen undetectable, other laboratory results with severe abnormalities such as abnormal venous blood coagulation time 4
Nervous system No symptoms/signs 0
Mild anxiety or fear, headache, fatigue, dizziness, coldness, or abnormal sensation 1
Moderate anxiety or fear, headache, fatigue, dizziness, chills, confusion or blurring of consciousness, muscle tremors or fasciculations in the bite area, ptosis of the upper eyelid, and difficulty swallowing 2
Severe confusion, lethargy, weakness, paralysis, convulsions, coma, mental disorders, or generalized muscle fasciculations 3
Kidney Normal creatinine and urine volume 0
Creatinine 1.5-1.9 times the baseline, or creatinine increases by ≥26.5 μmol/L, or urine volume <0.5 mL/(kg·h)for >6 h 1
Creatinine 2.0-2.9 times the baseline, or urine volume less than 0.5 mL/(kg·h) for > 12 h 2
Creatinine ≥3 times the baseline, creatinine ≥353.6 µmol/L, urine volume <0.3 mL/(kg·h) for >24 h, or anuria ≥12 h, or requiring renal replacement therapy 3