Envenoming in Martinique: A Historical Perspective of the Clinical Effectiveness of Bothrofav Antivenom Treatment.

Bothrofav, a monospecific antivenom, was introduced in June 1991 and has shown excellent effectiveness against life-threatening and thrombotic complications of envenoming. Because of the reoccurrence of cerebral stroke events despite the timely administration of antivenom, new batches of Bothrofav were produced and introduced into clinical use in January 2011. This study's aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of Bothrofav generations at treating envenoming.

Increased Binding of von Willebrand Factor to Sub-Endothelial Collagen May Facilitate Thrombotic Events Complicating Envenomation in Humans.

Consumption coagulopathy and hemorrhagic syndrome exacerbated by blood anticoagulability remain the most important causes of lethality associated with snake envenomation. venom also engages platelet aggregation on the injured endothelium via von Willebrand factor (vWF) interactions. Besides platelet aggregation, some venom toxins may induce qualitative thrombopathy, which has been in part related to the inhibition of vWF activation.

Bothrops (Fer-de-lance) snakebites in the French departments of the Americas (Martinique and Guyana): Clinical and experimental studies and treatment by immunotherapy.

Snakebite envenomation is a relevant medical hazard in French Guiana and Martinique, two French territories in the Americas. All snakebite envenomations in Martinique are inflicted by the endemic viperid species Bothrops lanceolatus, whereas Bothrops atrox is responsible for the majority of snakebites in French Guiana, although other venomous snake species also occur in this South American territory. This review summarizes some of the key aspects of the natural history of these species, as well as of their venom composition, the main clinical manifestations of envenomations, and their treatment by antivenoms.

Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Snakebite Envenomation: A Brief Descriptive Review and Clinical Implications.

Snakebite envenoming is a pathological condition which may occur in response to the injection of venom. Snake venoms contain a complex mixture of biologically active molecules which are responsible for a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from local tissue injuries to fatal complications. Snake venom administration commonly provokes local tissue injury often associated with systemic effects, including neurotoxic and cardiotoxic manifestations, bleeding, acute kidney injury, and rhabdomyolysis.

Clinical Characteristics of Ciguatera Poisoning in Martinique, French West Indies-A Case Series.

Ciguatera poisoning (CP) is one of the most common causes worldwide of marine poisoning associated with fish consumption from tropical areas. Its incidence is underreported. CP cases seem to increase with grouped cases reported during summer.

Acute Rubigine Poisoning in Martinique a French Overseas Department of America: Clinical Characteristics and Prognostic Factors.

Rubigine® is an anti-rust stain remover containing fluorides which is believed to have been the cause of many deaths in Martinique. However, after the modification of its composition in 2006, serious poisoning from old formulas containing fluorides persisted. Our main objective was to determine the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of these intoxications.

Bothrops lanceolatus snake venom impairs mitochondrial respiration and induces DNA release in human heart preparation.

Introduction: Envenomations by Bothrops snakebites can induce overwhelming systemic inflammation ultimately leading to multiple organ system failure and death. Release of damage-associated molecular pattern molecules (DAMPs), in particular of mitochondrial origin, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of the deregulated innate immune response.

Objective: To test whether whole Bothrops lanceolatus venom would induce mitochondrial dysfunction and DAMPs release in human heart preparations.

Covid-19 in the Caribbean: lessons learned from the ongoing international medical and scientific cooperation.

The coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis presents as human, social and economic challenges. The advent of Covid-19, unfortunate as it is, has highlighted the need for close medical cooperation between states. Medical cooperation is the key counter to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Critical care medicine in the French Territories in the Americas: Current situation and prospects.

Hospitals in the French Territories in the Americas (FTA) work according to international and French standards. This paper aims to describe different aspects of critical care in the FTA. For this, we reviewed official information about population size and intensive care unit (ICU) bed capacity in the FTA and literature on FTA ICU specificities.

Mental Health of Adolescent Relatives of Intensive Care Patients: Benefits of an Open Visitation Policy.

Background: Symptoms of anxiety and depression are common in adolescents with a loved one in an intensive care unit (ICU) and are known precursors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of PTSD and associated factors in adolescent (age 12-17 years) relatives of patients in an ICU with an open visitation policy.

Methods: One year after the patient was discharged from the ICU, eligible adolescent relatives completed a satisfaction survey, anxiety history questionnaire, and psychometric evaluations (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and 8-item Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale).

Sargassum seaweed health menace in the Caribbean: clinical characteristics of a population exposed to hydrogen sulfide during the 2018 massive stranding.

Background: Since 2011, there have been ongoing massive unexplained increases of sargassum seaweed strandings along the coastlines of Caribbean countries. The objective of our study was to describe the clinical characteristics of patients exposed to noxious emissions of decomposing sargassum seaweed.

Methods: This observational study included patients from January 2018 to December 2018 for complaints attributed to decomposing sargassum seaweed.

Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of Severe Acute Adult Poisoning Cases in Martinique: Implicated Toxic Exposures and Their Outcomes.

Unlabelled: The epidemiology of severe acute poisonings in the French overseas departments of the Americas remains poorly reported. The main objective of this study was to determine the epidemiology and characteristics of severe acutely poisoned adult patients.

Methods: A retrospective descriptive study was conducted from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2010 in severely poisoned patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) of the University Hospital of Martinique, and the general public hospitals of Lamentin and Trinité.

Antibiotic therapy for snakebite envenoming.

There are numerous conflicting recommendations available on the use of antibiotics following snakebite. The present letter to the editor presents some recommendations based on recent studies, and aims to stimulate debate on this topic.

Snakebite envenoming in French Guiana: Assessment of the preclinical efficacy against the venom of Bothrops atrox of two polyspecific antivenoms.

Snakebite envenoming is a relevant public health problem in French Guiana, and Bothrops atrox is responsible for the vast majority of envenomings in this overseas French territory. The preclinical efficacy of freeze-dried antivenoms manufactured in Costa Rica (Polival-ICP®) and Mexico (Antivipmyn Tri®) was assessed against the lethal, hemorrhagic, in vitro coagulant, and myotoxic effects of Bothrops atrox venom from French Guiana. Antivenoms differ in protein concentration and in the type of active principle (IgG and F (ab'), respectively).

Infectious Complications Following Snakebite by in Martinique: A Case Series.

Infections secondary to snakebite occur in a number of patients and are potentially life-threatening. bites in Martinique average 30 cases per year and may result in severe thrombotic and infectious complications. We aimed to investigate the infectious complications related to bite.

Cardiac Arrest in the Airport Revealing Cocaine Body Packing: A Case Report.

Ingestion of large amounts of cocaine packages is a well-known method for cross-border transportation. Intestinal obstruction and life-threatening sympathomimetic toxidrome including seizures, ventricular dysrhythmia, and cardiac arrest resulting from the rupture of cocaine packages may occur. Here, we report a case of a 34-year-old pregnant woman who had a sudden cardiac arrest while waiting for her bags at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, France.

Third-generation antivenomics analysis of the preclinical efficacy of Bothrofav® antivenom towards venom.

inflicts severe envenomings in the Lesser Caribbean island of Martinique. Bothrofav®, a monospecific antivenom against venom, has proven highly effective at the preclinical and clinical levels. Here, we report a detailed third-generation antivenomics quantitative analysis of Bothrofav®.