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buying antivenom
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by asud on March 9, 2009
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I need to purchase SAIMR polyvalent for a trip, ideally in lyophilized form. Can anyone tell me where to get an inexpensive supply? Maybe two or three 'go to' places on the east coast for this sort of thing? Is there state or federal red tape around private individuals securing antivenom?
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RE: buying antivenom
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by Phobos on March 10, 2009
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Adam:
1) Yes, there is "red tape" involved with obtaining A/V
2) SAMIR only is available is liquid form that needs to be kept at 4 deg C
3) It is highly unadvisable to field administer A/V. It could kill you faster than the venom in some cases.
4) It is unavailable to pick up, period. It needs to be ordered from South Africa.
Al
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RE: buying antivenom
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by Cro on March 10, 2009
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Adam, you can find more about the "red tape" in the PDF files here on the site in the FAQ section.
There you will find the forms that are needed to be able to purchase antivenom.
Best Regards
John Z
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RE: buying antivenom
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by asud on March 10, 2009
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Thank you for the above. Asking if there was 'red tape' now sounds naive, but what can I say--I was tired when typing out the question which may've amplified my (already robust) naivete.
I'm sure there are reams of red tape. Also, I didn't envision self administering the AV. Hell, I'm not planning on administering it at all! But, for the sake of argument, is the administering via IV a hugely esoteric thing? Would your average clinic worker or msf volunteer in the field know how to administer a regimen of the stuff?
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RE: buying antivenom
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by Cro on March 10, 2009
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Adam, it is not that it is all that difficult to administer antivenom in the field, as almost any medic could be trained to do that, but it is the possibility that it could cause a severe anaphylactic reaction, and others reactions from the venom, that would have to be dealt with also.
That could involve much more than just a shot of Epinephrine. It might require heart and lung machines to keep the patient alive, and other supportive measures that are just not going to be available in the field. Snake venoms can do all kinds of damage, and sometimes take aggressive measures to keep the patient alive while the antivenom does its work.
The main reason for having your own supply of antivenom, is that two or three initial vials could provide a starting dose, if you wound up somewhere without any antivenom at all. And that might keep you alive while a larger supply was obtained.
Even in the US, with all of our modern transportation facilities, it can sometimes take 5 hours for antivenom for the treatment of exotic snake bites to be transported from the nearest source.
Best Regards
John Z
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