Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs
Open Access

Abstract

Globally, Snakebite accidents are associated with occupational environmental hazard and sport activities. Different reviews showed snakebite as a major occupational and recreational activities hazard. It is estimated that 9000 snakebites treated annually in the United States. Arizona has the highest per capita envenomation per year in the country. Rattlesnake bites were found more likely to be coded as having major clinical effects or death. Many cases from 1980s and 1990s from the US had shown an association between snakebite accidents and risk taking behaviors by men under influence of alcohol. A legitimate bite was said to have occurred if a person was bitten before an encounter with a snake was recognized or was bitten while attempting to move away from a snake. The same authors have advocated that as many as half of the rattlesnake bites on upper extremities can be eliminated if risk taking behavior was eliminated after a rattlesnake was encountered. The US literature is lacking in association between occupational and recreational activities with snakebites. We conducted a retrospective review of snakebite patients in southern and rural Arizona from 2002-2014. The goal was to describe the circumstances and demographics of the patients and how these changed over time. We found a statistically significant increase in the average age of patients from 35 to 45 years over time. We also found a statistically significant increase in lower extremity bites, and we found out that envenomation resulting from gardening/yard work as well hiking/taking out the trash/stepping on rattlesnakes have increased significantly. These factors are potential indicators of non-risk taking behaviors. Our center’s data shows an increasing trend in snakebites in southern & rural Arizona to be related to non-risk taking behavior activities such as hiking, landscaping, golfing or gardening which is more in line with world’s literature.

Biography

Mobarak is an emergency physician and medical toxicology fellow at Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center, University of Arizona, Tucson-Arizona, he has special interest in envenomation and occupational hazardous materials, and he is an AHLS (advance hazmat life support) instructor, he submitted papers and abstracts on envenomation.