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Attention C. helleri Keepers
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by Phobos on September 8, 2005
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I just received some sad news that there was fatal bite today by a captive Helleri. The bite occurred in the process of bagging a collection for transport. The male keeper in his last 20's took a bite to the back of the hand. Rather than calling 911 right away he sat on the couch for about 30 minutes before calling his girlfriend complaining of not being able to see well. It turns out he was bleeding profusely from the eyes. The paramedics arrive shortly thereafter and found him unresponsive. He was pronounced DOA at the ER from an intracerebral bleed.
C. helleri venom is know for causing very severe coagulopathies. Many of you who watch "Venom ER" know that Dr. Bush has a heck of a time with helleri bites.
Never wait and see, always call 911 right away. Waiting could have made a difference between living & dying in this case.
Also keep in mind that CroFab is not very effective against the bite from this species and requires many more vials (40+) to counteract a severe envenomation.
Al
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RE: Attention C. helleri Keepers
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by Phobos on September 8, 2005
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Oh...one more detail I forgot....Bite to death was not much more than one hour...
Al
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RE: Attention C. helleri Keepers
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by Buzztail1 on September 8, 2005
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WOW, Al!
That is quick for a US snake!
Could you email me privately about the details at Buzztail1@hotmail.com?
We find these guys fairly frequently.
For the past several years there has been a lot of attention paid to the toxicity of helleri and various southern populations of horridus.
A couple of years ago a young lady in central Georgia took a bite from a presumed dead "Canebrake" and was reported dead within an hour.
WOW!
Karl
http://www.venomousreptiles.org/libraries/download/4415/3%20Sep%20SoPac%201.jpg
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RE: Attention C. helleri Keepers
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by emtnurse on September 8, 2005
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Hey Al, I hate to ask you, but could you email me in private as well. I have 2 of them, and it would be good to share when I do my EMS inservices on pre-hospital care for venomous snake bites. I hope I am not asking too much. Thanks alot, Bryan.
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RE: Attention C. helleri Keepers
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by Rabies on September 9, 2005
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WOW that's frighteningly quick! I keep two, my male is just over 3ft! "Also keep in mind that CroFab is not very effective against the bite from this species and requires many more vials (40+) to counteract a severe envenomation." Dr Bush review on helleri and CroFab tends to be that if given early enough its very affective, high administration of antivenom in severe bites is not unusual, CroFab has been tested only to 18vials(moderate bite). The highest Wyeth administration I have found was 75 vials in a 2.5yr who was bitten twice by an EDB, she survived. If you find out any more info Al please keep us posted, it would be interesting to know if the snake actually held on for a period of time.
John
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RE: Attention C. helleri Keepers
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by Phobos on September 9, 2005
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Hi Guys:
I have no problem emailing you with details but I posted all I know except the State where it occured, Oregon. Now you have all the details too. As I learn more I will be sure to pass it on. It's not a good time to quiz the family or girlfriend, you understand.
I posted this for a few reasons:
1) Helleri keepers need to understand what they have. It may not be on the "top 10 list" but dead is dead.
2) Learning from the mistakes of others. In this case waiting like he did was most likely the difference between life & death.
3) Accidents do happen, everybody must be vigilent to take every step to ensure the probability of one occuring is kept low.
I will keep everyone updated as I learn more information
Be safe,
Al
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