VICC
Definition
Venom-induced consumption coagulopathy, the haemotoxic syndrome of Russell's viper and saw-scaled viper bites in which the venom activates coagulation factors, consumes fibrinogen and platelets, and produces a state in which the blood will not clot at all.
- Full name
- Venom-induced consumption coagulopathy
- Caused by
- Russell's viper and saw-scaled viper envenomation
- Mechanism
- Coagulation factor activation, then fibrinogen and platelet depletion
- Bedside test
- 20-minute whole blood clotting test (WBCT20)
Common questions
How is VICC diagnosed without a lab coagulation panel?+
Blood is placed in a plain, dry glass tube and left undisturbed for twenty minutes; failure to form a firm clot by that point is taken as evidence of VICC, a test usable even in resource-limited settings.
Why is VICC clinically dangerous?+
Depletion of clotting factors and platelets leaves the patient prone to spontaneous systemic bleeding, and intracranial haemorrhage from this coagulopathy is a leading cause of death after these snakebites.
Related terms
- 20WBCT
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