Just got back from Sedona, AZ. We had a guide for a personal red rocks tour. He told us that he was once bitten by a rattlesnake. If it ever happens to you forget trying to suck the venom out (folklore), just quickly get yourself to a hospital. You can lose body parts or your life you don't act fast. Oh, and BTW, the he didn't have insurance. The numerous viles of antidote to save his life cost $120,000! He will be paying it back for the rest of his life. Just something to consider when you are in rattlesnake country.
It's amazing how they come up with this stupid figures. Anti-venom is just weaken venom. There's no way it could cost $120,000. Our medical system is so screwed up its not even funny.
While I agree our healthcare system needs major reform, it's hard to give opinions without facts. It was not $120,000 for antivenom. Giving antivenom can cause life-threatening side effects. The person in question was likely admitted to the ICU, perhaps had some complications. It cost over $5000/day to stay in the ICU. Add the physician's bills and medication costs, and you can see how it could add up!
Depends on how much you value your life and limbs. The anti-venom requires someone to go catch a rattlesnake, milk its venom, then have it processed at a lab. One snake = one vile. A vile can cost around $9,000 depending upon availability. A vile has a expiration date like any medicine. It must be administered intravenously by a doctor, usually at a hospital. The cost includes hospital stay which can range from a week to a month. It depends on the patient's allergic reactions, and effectiveness of the treatment. There are lots of risks involved. Our guide was told he was going to lose his hand, then his finger, and, by some miracle, he overcame it all. He was in the hospital for two weeks.
"You have to know what kind of snake bit you and have the anti-venom for it. Also, it is also necessary to receive multiple doses of it over the course of days to weeks. I know of some people who have had up to 35 doses of it. Then you have to consider the surgical requirements such as opening the wound to protect from extreme swelling as well as debridement of the wound in the event of a hematoxin (like a rattlesnake).
If you are bit by a snake with a neurotoxin (such as a cobra or coral snake) you need to consider mechanical life support (a ventilator) until the venom wears off.
Some snakes have venom with both hematoxic and neurotoxic properties that compound the problem."
I was at a Dessert Museum presentation in Tucson where two experienced handlers talked about both rattlesnakes and gila monsters. I found out that one stands a better chance of survival with a gila monster bite then one from a rattlesnake. Both presenters had over fifteen years of experience with each creature. Their estimate based on experience for the cost to overcome a rattlesnake bite was in the $200,000 area. The $120,000 fee sounds like a deal now. Lesson: Avoid snakes and have good medical insurance.
borderlight wrote:
The anti-venom requires someone to go catch a rattlesnake, milk its venom, then have it processed at a lab. One snake = one vile. A vile can cost around $9,000 depending upon availability.
The newer antivenin, named Crofab, is made by injecting four antigenic protein sequences (obtained from 4 species of crotalidae) into sheep. The sheep then produce antibodies to the antigens. The antibodies are purified and become the antivenin. Crofab was marketed in the US in the early 2000's and was the first new rattlesnake antivenin in 50 years. The other product, manufactured by Wyeth, has a higher rate of adverse reactions than Crofab. The cost of Crofab varies depending upon who does the buying, and the wholesale cost is usually in the range of $775 to $1500 per vial. But when the hospital adds their charges to the product, the cost goes much higher, especially when you consider that up to 12 to 30 vials might be used.
They go right through jeans too. Here's one guys experience:
"A large crotalid, such as a rattlesnake or cottonmouth, absolutely can easily bite through canvas tennis shoes. There's a better than even chance they could bite through leather boots too, just depending on how thick the leather is where they bite. I know of at least one case that occurred in about 1979 in North Carolina of a fatal bite through a "snake-proof" boot. Granted, it was a freak set of circumstances...one fang happened to go through a hole where the boot was stitched together and the victim was allergic to the venom and died (within just a few minutes) from anaphylactic shock....but it illustrates the fact that it is possible, however remote the chances. He was doing snake programs at schools and various events and was doing a part of his program where he would swing his leg back and forth in front of a big Timber Rattlesnake and let it strike at his boot...he had been hit literally thousands of times and this one time a single fang got through a stitch hole in the leather...."
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he would swing his leg back and forth in front of a big Timber Rattlesnake and let it strike at his boot.
In that case, it wasn't a "freak set of circumstances". The guy was was tempting fate, and fate finally caught up with him (may he rest in peace...).
I would not hike in rattlesnake country without wearing a good set of snake guards. They're not 100% reliable, but they provide a lot more protection than any kind of hiking boot.
