Efficacy of the 20-minute whole blood clotting test (WBCT20) in the diagnosis of coagulation alteration related to snakebites in a Western Brazilian Amazon hospital

Abstract Introduction: The efficacy of 20-minute whole blood clotting (WBCT20) and the Lee-White clotting time (LWCT) tests in diagnosing coagulation alterations from snakebites were compared. Methods: We evaluated 89 snakebite cases treated at the Hospital Regional do Juruá em Cruzeiro do Sul, Ac...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tamires Nascimento da Costa, Ageane Mota da Silva, Rodrigo Medeiros de Souza, Wuelton Marcelo Monteiro, Paulo Sérgio Bernarde
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2021-06-01
Series:Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
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Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822021000100640&tlng=en
Description
Summary:Abstract Introduction: The efficacy of 20-minute whole blood clotting (WBCT20) and the Lee-White clotting time (LWCT) tests in diagnosing coagulation alterations from snakebites were compared. Methods: We evaluated 89 snakebite cases treated at the Hospital Regional do Juruá em Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil. Results: WBCT20 results were normal in 33.7% and unclottable in 66.3% of cases, while LWCT results were normal in 23.6% and altered (prolonged or unclottable) in 76.4% of cases, with no significant differences. Conclusions: The WBCT20 is important for rapidly diagnosing coagulation alterations from snakebites. Furthermore, it is efficient, inexpensive, and can be deployed in isolated hospitals.
ISSN:1678-9849