Delayed antivenom for life-threatening tiger snake bite: Lessons learnt
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Kenneth D. Winkel; James Tibballs; Hamish D Jackson; A.M. Padula
- Source
- Anaesthesia and intensive care. 48(5)
- Subject
- Adolescent
Antivenom
Snake Bites
Venom
Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
complex mixtures
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Intensive care
Medicine
Animals
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
Elapidae
Envenomation
Elapid Venoms
integumentary system
Tiger
business.industry
Antivenins
medicine.disease
Snake bites
Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Respiratory failure
Anesthesia
business
Rhabdomyolysis
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
- Language
- ISSN
- 0310-057X
An adolescent victim of an urban snakebite developed respiratory failure, rhabdomyolysis and consumption procoagulopathy but recovered with two vials of tiger snake antivenom administered after a delay of 48 hours. The clinical significance of a post-bite collapse was not initially appreciated. Tiger snake (Notechis spp.) venom antigen was measurable in blood before antivenom but not after whereas antivenom was measurable in blood for nine ensuing days. This case adds to growing evidence that further pharmacokinetic research of venom-antivenom interaction is required to establish the correct dose and timing of tiger snake antivenom. Antivenom therapy, even when delayed, facilitates recovery from snake envenomation.