Green Pit Viper (Craspedocephalus trigonocephalus) arboreal bites: coagulopathy risks?

The endemic Green Pit Viper (Pala Polonga / Craspedocephalus trigonocephalus) is an arboreal ambush predator commonly encountered at eye or chest level in tea bushes, cinnamon gardens, and wet zone rainforest foliage. Bites almost universally cause immediate, intense localized pain, severe edema, blistering, and extensive ecchymosis extending up the limb. While systemic coagulopathy and fatalities are rare compared to Russell’s viper envenomations, transient consumption coagulopathy and localized tissue necrosis can require surgical intervention. Management is strictly symptomatic and supportive; Indian polyvalent antivenom is ineffective and clinically contraindicated.