A 13-year-old girl in Venezuela is being treated for one of the most gruesome snake bites ever documented, and has already lost her entire leg to necrosis.
Chances are that you will NOT want to see the picture ahead. This poor girl has already lost her leg, as it’s shriveled up from necrosis, and it’s getting worse. The type of snake is not documented, but there are several snakes in Venezuela
capable of causing necrosis
from a bite, such as the Fer-de-Lance who’s haemotoxic venom causes massive tissue deterioration.
By now, if you’re still reading I assume you came here to see something horrific, and that’s what you’re about to see:
The 13-year-old girl, who is unidentified, was first treated by remedies from the indigenous culture she was from, according to a photograph posted on Instagram by the username ‘juventudmedica’.
A month later she was eventually brought to Carcaras, Venezuela,for medical treatment.
One doctor, who has seen the photograph, told MailOnline the girl will need her leg amputated but is still likely to die from the snake venom.
Dr Arun Ghosh, a private GP in Liverpool, said: ‘Snake venom is very complicated and depends on the species of snake.
‘But the picture shows clearly severe tissue necrosis that will need amputation, though she still may die from this due to the nature of the poison.
The whole lower leg is black, it’s spreading up. Looking at the rest of her body she’s showing signs of muscle wastage from the poison. Her other leg is thin. It’s likely she will still die.’
He added that the necrosis has led to a condition called rhabdomyolysis, in which muscle tissue will begin to die throughout the body.
Rhabdomyolysis can result in damage to the kidneys, which coupled with low blood pressure, can lead to kidney failure and even death if left untreated, he said.
Dr Ghosh said: ‘This girl has had classic rural treatment which is often only able to treat local infection secondary to the bite (at best say equal to antibiotics).
‘But she is unlikely to have received anti-venom treatment (which entails giving treatment to stop blood clotting) to keep her blood flowing through her body.’