Treatment of Poisoning With Rattlesnake Venom

Current Status of Treatment of Poisonous Snakebite

“…When the boy arrived at the hospital he was in extreme pain and examination revealed edema extending to the right elbow. Leukocytosis ( 15,200) was 276 present. Tetanus antitoxin ( 3000 units) was given.…”

“…McCreary and Wurzel 11 found it necessary to remove the tourniquet to keep ahead of the swelling; however, one could argue that the tourniquet perhaps momentarily impeded the flow while not actually stopping it. Pope and Peterson 15 have shown that a tourniquet may impede the flow of poison but is not enough in itself to prevent death. These illustrative cases, supported by the work of Leopold, would seem to show that tourniquets are not especially indicated, especially in the hands of those who do not understand their proper use.…”

Considerations for the development of a field-based medical device for the administration of adjunctive therapies for snakebite envenoming

“…Recommendations for treatment of SBE during the mid-1900s were generally directed towards inactivating, removing or slowing the action of venom near the local site of envenoming, and preventing systemic spread of toxins using tourniquets ( Blackman and Dillon, 1992 ; Pope and Peterson, 1946 ; Russell, 1967 ). First aid techniques that are at best questionably effective or, at worst, severely detrimental, have been reviewed( Bénard-Valle et al, 2015 ; Fry, 2018 ; Parker-Cote and Meggs, 2018 ).…”