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Case Reports
. 2023 Dec 19;2023(12):omad136.
doi: 10.1093/omcr/omad136. eCollection 2023 Dec.

Atrial fibrillation caused by Daboia palestinae snakebite: a case report

Marah Khaldy  1 , Hasan Arafat  1 , Yasmina Khaldi  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Atrial fibrillation caused by Daboia palestinae snakebite: a case report

Marah Khaldy et al. Oxf Med Case Reports. .

Abstract

Background: snake envenomation is a serious healthcare issue. Daboia palaestinae is an endemic species to the Middle East that is responsible for the majority of envenomation cases with serious health issue consequences.

Case presentation: we report a case of a 20-year-old Palestinian man who presented to emergency room following a snake bite. He developed atrial fibrillation which is a rare but serious complication of D. palaestinae snakebite. We reviewed the proper approach and management to such cases.

Conclusion: cardiac arrhythmias are a rare but serious, often fatal, complication of snake envenomation. Early detection and proper management is key to avoid morbidity and mortality.

Keywords: Palestine viper; arrhythmia; cardiotoxicity; snake envenomation.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Right upper limb showing the bite site, marked. Swelling and tenderness extending from the site of the bite at the ulnar aspect of the dorsum of the hand to the elbow joint.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Puncture wounds resulting from snake bite.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The snake responsible for the bite, identified as Daboia palaestinae.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Electrocardiogram at presentation. The rhythm here shows sinus tachycardia, mostly related to stress.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Electrocardiogram showed an irregularly irregular rhythm with absent P-waves, suggestive of atrial fibrillation.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Electrocardiogram following resolution of the event, it shows a sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 76 bpm.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Proposed approach for snake envenomation associated with cardiovascular abnormalities [11].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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