Antivenom is the mainstay of treatment of snakebite envenoming. However, adverse reactions to snake antivenom that is available are common in many parts of the world where snakebite is prevalent. Both acute (anaphylactic or pyrogenic) and delayed (serum sickness type) reactions occur. Acute reactions are usually mild but severe systemic anaphylaxis may develop, often within an hour or so of exp...

Two cases of brown snake envenomation are presented where the duration of bandage application in one patient was prolonged compared with the other patient and was associated with a reduction in the total amount of antivenom required. One patient had the bandage removed 2 hours and twenty minutes after application and required 25 units of brown snake antivenom to neutralise the defibrination coa...

Background The benefits from treatment with antivenom sera are indubitable. However, the mechanism for toxin neutralization has not been completely elucidated. A mixture of anti-bothropic and anti-crotalic horse antivenom has been reported to be more effective in neutralizing the effects of B. jararacussu snake venom than anti-bothropic antivenom alone. This study determined which regions in th...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Treating envenomation with antivenom is costly. Many patients being treated with antivenom are in observation status, a billing designation for patients considered to need care that is less resource-intensive, and less expensive, than inpatient care. Observation status is also associated with lower hospital reimbursements and higher patient cost-sharing. The goal of thi...

BACKGROUND There is limited information on antivenom pharmacokinetics. This study aimed to investigate the pharmacokinetics of an Indian snake antivenom in humans with Russell's viper bites. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Patient data and serial blood samples were collected from patients with Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) envenoming in Sri Lanka. All patients received Indian F(ab')2 snake ant...

BACKGROUND Scorpion stings cause an estimated 3000 deaths per annum worldwide. We conducted a systematic review of all controlled clinical trials related to scorpion sting management. METHODS We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science and CINAHL and included controlled prospective clinical trials (randomized or non-randomized). The following interventions were assessed: adults and chi...

OBJECTIVE This study aims to help set domestic guidelines for administration of antivenom to envenomated patients after snakebites. METHODS This retrospective observational case series comprised 128 patients with snake envenomation. The patients were divided into two groups according to the need for additional antivenom after the initial treatment based on the traditional snakebite severity g...

BACKGROUND Envenoming from snakebites is most effectively treated by antivenom. However, the antivenom available in South Asian countries commonly causes acute allergic reactions, anaphylactic reactions being particularly serious. We investigated whether adrenaline, promethazine, and hydrocortisone prevent such reactions in secondary referral hospitals in Sri Lanka by conducting a randomised, d...

Objective: Pediatric cases comprise approximately 22% of rattlesnake envenomations in the U.S. The recent introduction of Crotaline Fab antivenom and withdrawal from the market of the traditional antivenom preparation has changed the way rattlesnake envenomation is treated. Although in some hospitals Crotaline Fab antivenom may be the only antivenom currently available, there is little data reg...

'Rescue' experiments were performed on mice to compare the efficacy of i.v. verapamil, box-jellyfish antivenom, and a combination of both agents to counter the effects of toxic material extracted from the tentacles of Chironex fleckeri. In each of three series of experiments, four sets of mice were injected with doses of Chironex tentacle extracts containing approximately 4 mg/ml protein which ...