Study Comparing Modified Lee White Clotting Time Against Twenty Minute Whole Blood Clotting Test in Snakebite Victims

Envenomation by snakes is common in India. Hematotoxic bites cause the highest morbidity and mortality in Kerala, a state in the south of India. 20 minute Whole Blood Clotting Test(20'WBCT) recommended by World Health Organisation guidelines is probably the most routinely employed bed side screening tool in the country. It is the tool of choice due to its cost effectiveness in low and middle income countries (LMIC). The reliability of 20'WBCT is questionable with respect to not just its rapidity but also its reliability. There is no standardisation for the test and procedure. Modified Lee White (MLW) Method for coagulation is a cheap bed side test used as part of the standard treatment protocol of snake bite victims. The MLW method gives a value which when performed serially gives a trend in clotting time which the investigators hypothesise to be a better tool in serially assessing the victim compared to the World Health Organisation recommended 20'WBCT. The investigators also propose that delayed reading of both MLW and 20'WBCT to check for clot stability also provides added information in management of snake bite victims. The bed side coagulation test done, forms the trigger to commence antivenom in snake bite victims with hematotoxicity in resource limited settings. Lee White (MLW) Method for coagulation is a test that has been employed for decades to assess coagulation in Jubilee Mission Hospital, Medical College and Research Institute in Thrissur for snake bite victims. It is a cheap bed side test used as part of the standard treatment protocol of snake bite victims. The MLW method gives a value which when performed serially gives a trend in clotting time which the investigators hypothesise to be a better tool in serially assessing the victim compared to the World Health Organisation recommended 20'WBCT. The investigators also propose that delayed reading of both MLW and 20'WBCT to check for clot stability or 'clot lysis' also provides added information in management of snake bite victims.