Venomous snakes are estimated to inflict 400,000 bites annually, resulting in approximately 40,000 deaths. There are nearly 3,500 known species of snakes worldwide, and three species exist in Korea. Venom contains toxins that effect the cardiovascular system, the kidneys, the respiratory system and the muscles. There are many modalities in treating snake bites, but most of all, neutralization of the venom is the most important. however, many doctors in Korea hesitate in using antivenom. The reason is that there are no specific antivenoms against Korean venous snakes. In this case, a 2-year-old female child with a snake bite vistied our hospital Korea via a local clinic. Severe systemic symptoms and local symptoms, including compartment syndrome, were observed. When we tried antivenom, the result was satisfactory.
Agkistrodon* ; Antivenins ; Cardiovascular System ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Compartment Syndromes ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney ; Korea ; Muscles ; Respiratory System ; Snake Bites* ; Snakes* ; Venoms

PURPOSE: This retrospective study was performed to investigate epidemiological characteristics in terms of the ageand the sex-specific incidences in patients with perforated or nonperforated appendicitis. METHOD: The study population comprised 314 patients who underwent appendectomies for suspected acute appendicitis between March 2002 and August 2003. This study used the student t-test, the coefficient of correlation, and the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel Chi-square statistics. RESULTS: The incidence of nonperforated appendicitis was higher. Perforated appendicitis occurred at almost the same incidence in both sexes. However, the incidence of perforated appendicitis was high in small children and the elderly. The statistics of this study proved that the incidence of perforated appendicitis of the elderly was considerable. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the elderly need careful examination and rapid evaluation. Also, we suggest that since perforated appendicitis has a long duration of treatment, diagnostic accuracy is needed.
Aged ; Appendectomy ; Appendicitis* ; Child ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Retrospective Studies