Poisonous snakebite treatment in the United States
C. H. Watt
This is retrospective report of 107 cases of poisonous snakebites treated
in south Georgia and north Florida. Sixty-seven percent of the cases
required intensive treatment. Intravenous antivenin therapy, if indicated,
should be given early and over a short time. Steroids are of use primarily
for allergic phenomena. Fasciotomies were not necessary unless cooling or
inadequate antivenin had been administered. A grading system that matches
the species of snake with the severity of the bite was used to classify the
cases.
