Snake bite--an occupational hazard?

Abstract

Snake bite envenomation demands a high level of knowledge and skill on the part of the critical care nurse. The following paper examines a case study of one patient who presented on two separate occasions, with snake bites from a taipan and then, 6 months later, from a death adder. Snake venom contains a variety of complex substances which do vary between the snake species; therefore, the different forms of envenomation require different modalities of treatment. This paper seeks to examine the different management required for each specific episode of envenomation. It compares the characteristics of the two snakes and examines the different effects of envenomation in both cases.