02949nas a2200277   4500000000100000008004100001260005500042653002200097653002300119653001400142653003600156653001400192653002500206653002100231100001000252700001800262700001300280700002100293700001300314245013900327856012300466300001400589490000700603520203600610022002502646       2026                            d  c08/2026bOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)10aPrehospital delay10aSnake envenomation10asnakebite10atraditional first aid treatment10aFirst Aid10aprehospital practice10aClinical profile1 aDey D1 aRamamoorthy L1 aAyyan SM1 aLalthanthuami HT1 aRamesh S00aPrehospital Practices and Clinical Profile of the Patients with Snake Envenomation Admitted in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Case Series  uhttps://www.ovid.com/jnls/ijcm/pdf/10.4103/ijcm.ijcm_160_25~prehospital-practices-and-clinical-profile-of-the-patients  a750 - 7550 v513 a<p><strong>Introduction:</strong></p>

<p>Snake envenomation is a common life-threatening medical emergency, especially in rural areas where limited access to healthcare and a lack of awareness about proper first-aid procedures often lead victims to rely on traditional healers before seeking modern treatment. These practices, such as the use of tourniquets, pressure immobilization, and native concoctions, might result in adverse outcomes and cause delays in seeking medical assistance.</p>

<p><strong>Methodology:</strong></p>

<p>This Case series design was conducted to identify the prehospital practices among patients with snake envenomation who presented to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital. The study included 100 adult participants with definite characteristics of snake envenomation. Consecutive sampling was used to select participants, and data collection focused on clinico-epidemiological profiles and prehospital practices, including traditional remedies and first aid measures. Continuous variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation or median, and associations were assessed using Chi-square or Fisher’s exact test.</p>

<p><strong>Results:</strong></p>

<p>Participants had a mean age of 45.5 ± 15.6 years, with male predominance (71%) and the highest incidence in the 31–45 age group (33%). Most were from rural areas (94%). The median time from the bite to hospital admission was 90 minutes (IQR 4-180 minutes). 56% of participants used various methods before reaching the hospital. Washing the bite site with water and soap was the most common (19%), followed by topical native concoctions (17%) and pressure immobilization (17%).</p>

<p><strong>Conclusion:</strong></p>

<p>The study showed that various prehospital practices among patients were associated with threefold higher odds of delay in arriving at the hospital. The public should be educated to prevent unnecessary delays in transporting patients to the hospital because of these practices.</p>
  a0970-0218, 1998-3581