|
1-10 of 13 messages
|
Page 1 of 2
Next
|
|
FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by tigers9 on May 30, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
<snip>
Today, representatives from the wildlife commission and the Venom Response Bureau will discuss the coral snake antivenin shortage and the importance of informing the public about venomous snakes
<snip>
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/health/sfl-flbvenom0530pnmay30,0,6936798.story
Bitten by a coral snake? Miami-Dade unit may be your only hope
By Sallie James
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
May 30, 2008
If you're bitten by the deadly banded coral snake, the antivenin you need to combat the reptile's deadly poison may come from a hospital or the cache stored by Miami-Dade County's Venom Response Bureau.
But in just a few months, the unit's store of coral snake antivenin will be the sole available public source in the state for treating the snake's paralyzing bites.
Supply of coral snake antivenin will become critical in October when all existing U.S.-produced antivenin for coral snakes expires. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which produced the product, quit making it in 2006, said Miami-Dade Capt. Ernie Jillson, of the Venom Response Bureau. What's left on shelves goes bad in October, he said.
The result? Every hospital in Florida will have to rely on Miami-Dade Fire Rescue's antivenin bank for help. The agency holds a special license that allows it to purchase non-FDA-approved antivenin from other countries, including coral snake antivenin, Jillson said. The bureau's inventory includes 43 antivenins for an array of reptile, insect and spider bites. Only three of the antivenins are produced in the United States.
"We are the only bank of our kind in the United States," Jillson said. "The thing that is most unsettling is being able to acquire the amount of antivenin we need."
Coral snake venom is a neuroxin, which causes the nervous system to shut down, ultimately causing paralysis and stopping a person's breathing, Jillson said. Without antivenin, a coral snake bite victim will go into respiratory arrest unless placed on life support.
"It takes two to four milligrams to put you into respiratory arrest," Jillson said.
Coral snakes are native to the United States and are found in nine states in the southeast, including Florida and Texas. The snakes are identifiable by their vivid red, yellow and black bands. A key identifier is that the red and yellow bands touch.
Annually, about 80 coral snake bites are reported in Florida to Poison Control, Jillson said. But many other bites are treated by hospitals that stocked the antivenin and never reported the incidents. As a result, Jillson estimates the true number of bites is closer to 150 statewide.
In 2007, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission signed a memorandum of agreement that made the commission's 12 aircraft available for emergency transportation of antivenin within Florida. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has the world's largest inventory of antivenin, according to the department.
Today, representatives from the wildlife commission and the Venom Response Bureau will discuss the coral snake antivenin shortage and the importance of informing the public about venomous snakes.
|
| |
|
RE: FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by JoeCrotalid on May 30, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Although the article is correct about the current stock of Coral snake antivenom expiring in October 2008, it is incorrect about only Miami-Dade possessing the Coralmyn Antivenom. The Poison Control Center at Tampa General has already contacted officials to also stock the new Coralmyn antivenom for the Tampa region.
Currently the Tampa Region has enough of the Wyeth antivenom to get us through this snakebite season, and after October 2008 the antivenom problem begins. The Coralmyn has been given Emergency Approval for use by the FDA, but is currently not an FDA approved medication nor is the Costa Rican Antivenom which has also been shown to be useful in treating the Micrurus fulvius fulvius species.
What the issue really boils down to is prevention, and getting the new antivenom FDA approved so that hospitals can stock it just as many do with the CroFab and some do with the Latrodectis mactans (Black Widow) antivenom.
The guys at Miami-Dade are great and deserve the praise they get, but they are not the only experts in the field of envenomations within the medical community in Florida. They do provide a great service especially with exotic envenomations which not many medical professionals have experience, but native species are many times handled without their assistance very easily by the Poison Centers, yet just recently, I was made aware of a comment by a member of Miami-Dade that said poison centers don't know anything about envenomations to which I personally must disagree with. I feel if the superiority complexes were squashed and Miami-Dade and the Poison Centers of Florida became a more United front-care of envenomation patients would be exceptional rather than a "pissing" contest. The bigger problems revolves around ED's not contacting the poison centers who can contact Miami-dade to ensure needed antivenom gets to the patient in an approriate time frame.
|
| |
|
RE: FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by tigers9 on May 30, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
<<some do with the Latrodectis mactans (Black Widow) antivenom. >>
How dangerous black widow spider bite really is??? I am allergic to just about everything, poison oak, cats, wasp sing,…
Because of the size of my exotic cats, I always live on acreage in the country and even when I vacuum, wildlife just keeps staying around and moving back to the house, so black widow spiders are like flies or furniture, always around in the house, there is likely one under my table right now as I type this. I just stopped paying attention to them, they are a non issue to me…
Ideas/advice? They leave me alone and I leave them alone, I am just in habit to check there is no spider or scorpion in my boots before I put them on, I can not let my life be ruined or run by fear.
Z
|
| |
|
RE: FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by JoeCrotalid on May 30, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Zuzana
Generally most adults do not require Latrodectus mactans antivenom except in rare cases. Generally small children and the elderly with a history of Hypertension are the only patients who may be given the antivenom. Most healthy adult patients are treated with narcotic pain medications and benzodiazepines (ie. valium) for muscle relaxation, and on a few occasions calcium to flood the calcium pathways that are blocked with the venom. Very few of these patients are admitted to the hospital, and are usually sent home with medications.
The other problem with the antivenom is the possibility of allergic reactions due to its horse serum base which is why it is only given in the worst possible cases. In 15 years, I have administered it once to a child, and remained bedside for the entire infusion with emergency supplies at the ready.
Most bites occur when the spider is cornered and feels threatened or when protecting an egg sac, or when accidentally leaned against.
Keep doing what you're doing-you'll be alright.
Joe
|
| |
|
RE: FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by FLherp on May 31, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Calcium Gluconate is ineffective for symptomatic treatment of Latrodectus bites (about 95% also require treatment with opiods and benzodiazepines), combined opiods and benzodiazepines are much more effective. In severe envenomations, with systemic manifestations, antivenom significantly shortens the duration of symptoms. I can only think of one person who died subsequent to Black widow AV administration (severe bronchospasm)and only about 12% of patients receiving AV are admitted to the hospital. Over 50% of those treated symptomatically have been admitted to the hospital historically.
The amount of venom injected is small, the amount of antivenom is likewise small (1 vial, $27) to reduce the length of suffering from 9 to 20 hours to just a few. This likely reduces the incidence of adverse reactions as well.
|
| |
|
RE: FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by JoeCrotalid on May 31, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Jeff
Although you are correct in your statistics, approximately 99% of Toxicologists opt to treat these envenomations with the combined opiod/benzo combination, and as I stated in some cases add Calcium to the cocktail which in my experience with envenomations has helped every time, and most toxicologists will not administer the current antivenom because of that small risk of anaphylaxis, CYA. Why give it when you can effectively manage with opiods and benzo's. I agree it may prevent many admissions and resolve s/s more rapidly but most toxicologists shy away from it because of that 1 documented death due to anaphylaxis.
It will be intersting to hear any new info about Latrodectus envenomations at the 2009 Venom Conference.
|
| |
|
RE: FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by tigers9 on May 31, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
How do you get/produce black widow anti venom? It is not like you can milk a spider like you can milk a snake…
I have this true/my story from few years ago…I usually have some t-shirts I only wear at home, because they r so horrible, but on this hot NV day, I was in a rush, I didn’t care what I looked like, so I just run to Wal mart wearing whatever I just happened to wear around the house, because I wanted to get food for animals and restock the freezer ASAP, busy day.
I noticed people were staring at my chest MUCH more than usual, but being in a rush, I ignored the rude stares and just concentrated on getting food for me and animals.
When I got home, I finally looked in the mirror and realized I was wearing my black T-shirt, with black widow spider picture/drawing in white across my chest that said:
“We could mate, but then I wood have to kill you”, similar to the one on the link:
http://www.salmac.com/cgi-bin/store/actors.cgi/girl_power_attitude_tshirts.tshirtdiva-114479541+black-widow-womens-black-t-shirt.html
Z
PS: how does calcium help in the venom cases? I noticed it is ingredient in stomach acid medicines.
|
| |
|
RE: FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by tigers9 on May 31, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I meant WOULD
not
WOOD
talk aboy 100%n NOT intentional Freudian slip here
<<“We could mate, but then I wood have to kill you”, similar to the one on the link: >.
|
| |
|
RE: FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by GREGLONGHURST on June 2, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
As I recall, black widow antivenin is produced from their venom, which is extracted using a pipette. As a side note, their silk is, or was in years past, used in making cross hairs in quality rifle scopes.
~~Greg~~
|
| |
|
RE: FL coral snake article
|
Reply
|
|
by FLherp on June 5, 2008
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
It is generally performed under a microscope, the animal is restrained with forceps or tweezers and a vacuum is used to extract the venom, care must also be taken to exclude any vomitus that is expelled and would contaminate the venom.
See the link: http://spiderpharm.com/venoms/spp/spi/theridiidae/l_mactans.htm
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this topic.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Check our help page for help using
, or send questions, comments, or suggestions to the
Manager.
|
