How effective is the antivenin treatment?
Medical data describing patient cases prior to antivenin usage is not very reliable since there was no organized surveillance in the past. Before antivenin was developed in 1967, the fatality rate was reported to be as high as 10-20%. Once antivenin became the mainstay of care, it was recommended to administer Antivenin before the onset of symptoms. Using this standard, the prognosis has been excellent and full recovery was expected. Most snake bite victims could be discharged within 24 hours. However, all bites may not need antivenin. To further extend the availability of antivenin, judicious use of antivenin after careful ICU monitoring is now recommended. Please contact the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 to obtain the most current recommendations. It is imperative that the Poison Centers be notified as Poison Centers are the only surveillance mechanism for these potentially life-threatening bites.
