AP: Eight-year-old boy recovers from severe kidney injury after snakebite in Kurnool
Kurnool, Aug 22 (TNT): An eight-year-old boy from Sanjamala village in Kurnool district has recovered from severe acute kidney injury following a snakebite after undergoing intensive care and haemodialysis at KIMS Cuddles, Kurnool, doctors said on Saturday.
The boy, identified as Rithik, was bitten by a snake on his left leg while playing near his house. A tight tourniquet was applied around the affected limb for several hours and he was subsequently given local traditional treatment, doctors said.
Over the next 24 hours, his urine output declined significantly and he developed swelling and rapid breathing. He was later brought to KIMS Cuddles, where he was evaluated and admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
According to Dr P V Ravi Kiran, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist, the child had severe acute kidney injury, with serum creatinine at 7.5 mg/dL and blood urea at 170 mg/dL. His blood pressure was also significantly elevated.
In view of the severity of the kidney injury and reduced urine output, the child was placed under close monitoring and intensive management in the PICU. Haemodialysis was initiated and continued for a few days, along with blood pressure management and other supportive treatment, he said.
Following treatment, the child’s urine output gradually improved and his kidney function returned towards normal. After his condition stabilised, he was discharged from the hospital.
Dr Ravi Kiran said snakebite could cause serious systemic complications and affect organs beyond the site of the bite. Reduced urine output, swelling, breathing difficulty, changes in blood pressure, weakness and bleeding following a snakebite should be treated as warning signs requiring immediate medical attention, he said.
He advised parents to take children who suffer snakebites to a hospital with emergency medical facilities at the earliest and cautioned against delaying hospital care in favour of unproven local treatments.
He also advised against applying tight tourniquets or other traditional measures without medical guidance, saying they could interfere with blood circulation and cause additional complications.
The case highlights the importance of early hospitalisation, continuous monitoring and access to specialised paediatric critical care and renal replacement therapy for children who develop severe complications following snakebite.
TNT KM
