A man in the southern Vietnamese province of Tra Vinh has been hospitalized after having his tongue and hand bitten by a grass snake while drinking rice wine in his front yard.
L.V.L., 52, residing in Cau Ke District, was drinking when a grass snake bit his hand and later his tongue as he took a closer look at the animal.
The man was immediately brought to the 121 Military Hospital in nearby Can Tho City for emergency care.
Aside from his swollen hand, a large bump formed on his tongue after the snakebite, causing difficulty breathing and increased mucus production.
Doctors at the infirmary performed an emergency tracheostomy on the patient in order to allow him to breathe before injecting snake antivenoms and applying antihistamines, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, and anti-clotting medications.
L.’s wounds stopped bleeding and his condition was basically stabilized following the doctors’ efforts.
After four days of treatment, the swelling disappeared while the victim could resume normal breathing.
According to Dang Ngoc Thuyet, head of the emergency department of the 121 Military Hospital, the grass snake that attacked L. was not extremely venomous.
However, the wound on his tongue caused many serious complications, Thuyet added.
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