Snake bites

Australia has some of the most venomous snakes in the world. All patients giving a history of a possible snake bite should be assessed, managed and transported to hospital. Fatalities occur within hours of the snake bite from initial multi-organ failure than cardiac arrest. Basic first-aid such as appropriate bandaging and immobilisation is effective and has reduced death rates significantly.Anti-venom is indicated for all patients who present with clinical and hospital laboratory evidence of envenomation. Anti-venom should be given early and is a horse-derived antibody that is also associated with producing allergic reactions in 25% of cases and anaphylaxis in 5% of patients administered.