Archives of The Cold Blooded News

The Newsletter of the Colorado Herpetological Society

Volume 32, Number 10;   October, 2005

Exotic Venomous Snakebites in the USA at the Millenia Crossover (extract)

by Daniel E. Keyler

Dept. of Medicine, Div. of Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis Medical Research Foundation, University of Minnesota, Mpls., MN 55415.

2002, 2 April 1900 hrs: Kirkwood, just south of St. Louis, Missouri. A 41-year-old male was bitten on the right index finger by a rhinoceros viper (Bitis nasicornis) at 6:45 p.m. 45 min later he had swelling of the finger, hand and wrist area, with intense pain. He had a history of seven previous venomous bites (Malayan pit-viper (Callosalasma rhodostoma) , Mojave rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) other US pit-vipers, and a Gila bite for which he had been treated with snake antivenom). South African Polyvalent Antivenom was obtained from the zoo and was administered without any problems. However, another problem arose, as the patient's wife showed up in the ICU, but did not know her husband ever had any venomous snakes. She then learned that the snakes were kept at his "girl-friend's house," which she also did not know about. Shortly thereafter the girlfriend showed up, a fistfight broke out, and the sheriff's department was summoned. The patient was just lying there in bed with his bitten finger pointing skyward. The ICU doctor mentioned that snakebite was the least of this guy's worries as his wife would probably "take him out in the woods and blow his head off." The patient then signed out of the hospital against medical advice and left the state to avoid his wife!

2002, 26 May 1315 hrs: St. Louis, Missouri. Another Bitis nasicornis bite! The adult male victim mentioned in the previous case was being airlifted to a St. Louis trauma center. He was reported to have respiratory problems (probably due to allergic complications related to his previous envenomation history). Again, South African Polyvalent Antivenom was considered, but fortunately not deemed necessary as his symptoms were managed with supportive care. Several months later, I learned that the original rhino bite had caused his right index finger to necrose due to his lack of follow-up medical care. The finger was amputated. This case is a candidate for the "Jerry Srpinger Show."