Xun Liang,1,* Danlei Xing,2,* Zhiwei Zhuang,2,* Hui Feng,1 Shiji Li,2 Xiao Fang,2 Fei Wang,2 Le Qiu,2 Xu-Lin Chen2 

1Department of Emergency Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, Anhui, 230032, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Burns, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Xu-Lin Chen, Department of Burns, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 218 Jixi Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86-551-6363-0797, Email okcxl@126.com Le Qiu, Department of Burns, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, 218 Jixi Road, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, People’s Republic of China, Email 793913104@qq.com

Background: Snakebite-induced organ dysfunction emerging as the primary determinant of morbidity and mortality. This study aims to explore the prognostic value of red blood cell distribution width (RDW) to platelet ratio (RPR) on multi-organ dysfunction (MODS) in patients with snake bites.
Methods: A retrospective study included 637 patients with snakebite between 2015 and 2020 from two hospitals in Anhui province, China. Data were collected at two time points: on the 1st-day and the 5th-day after treatment. All patients were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of MODS. T-tests, chi-square tests, and univariate and multivariate logistical analyses were used to identify the prognostic factors for the development of MODS.
Results: 56 (8.8%) patients developed MODS following snakebite. Logistics analyses indicated that from being bitten at the hospital, the 1st-day of red blood cell distribution width-to-platelet ratio (RPR) and creatinine (CR) levels, and the 5th-day of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were significantly associated with the development of MODS. The sensitivity and the specificity of the 1st-day RPR were calculated by the received operating characteristic curve (AUC=0.720, 95% CI, 0.642– 0.798). The 1st day RPR=0.110 and the 5th day RPR=0.085.
Conclusion: The study found that the RPR is an independent risk factor for predicting multi-organ dysfunction in patients with snake bites. The 1st-day RPR > 0.110 is prone to be a new independent predictive factor for the development of MODS after snakebite.

Keywords: RPR, red blood cell width distribution-to-platelet ratio, MODS, snakebite, inflammation