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Clinically significant bleeding following rattlesnake envenomation has been rare. However, many people are now on antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications, and whether they are more likely to bleed after being bitten is not known. Researchers in Arizona reviewed the records of 319 patients older than 14 years who had sustained rattlesnake envenomations to compare hospital courses and long-term outcomes between 31 patients (10%) who reported daily use of aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin, or a combination of these drugs and 288 who were not using these medications.
Among patients for whom follow-up data were available, major bleeding occurred in 18% of the medication group versus 2% of the no-medication group (relative risk, 12.2). Nine patien…