| masraum |
05-20-2021 01:15 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by vash
(Post 11338199)
I did a project recently that had rattlesnakes. some contractor guy blurted out that snake venom is not covered by insurance. total hooey. but he did get in my head and I called my insurance provider and hospital. they had the antivenom on hands and yes, it was covered by insurance. workmans comp if it happened at work. my own insurance if it happens while I am mtn biking.
no big deal.
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It's still a huge deal. I've been watching the "National Snakebite Support" group on Facebook for a couple of weeks now. You'd be surprised at how many hospitals don't give anti-venom or follow the correct, modern protocol of snakebite treatment.
The facebook group is monitored by Doctors (MDs and toxicologists) and Vets. If you get a snakebite, you post and they advise you.
Things that I've taken away from it (this is not medical advice and I'm not qualified to give medical advice, if you get bit, go to a Dr/ER). elevate the extremity with the bite (ie, if it's your leg, get it up in the air at least at a 45º angle and keep the leg straight). Don't bother with benedryl. Don't take NSAIDs (they can make it worse). Don't ice the swelling (can cause tissue damage). And if the symptoms fit, give anti-venom. My understanding is that recovery from a snake bite can take a looooong time, and there can be permanent damage as a result.
I think I've read that most folks will require 4-12 vials of anti-venom. It's NOT based on the size of the person. It's based on the volume of venom injected by the snake, and I assume that's estimated based on the severity of the symptoms.
https://bmcemergmed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-227X-11-2
https://media.springernature.com/ful..._Fig1_HTML.jpg
I've seen folks talking back and forth on facebook that are in hospitals with photos of swollen feet, legs, hands, etc.... that are sent home without anti-venom or given tylenol and don't have the bite elevated.
https://khn.org/news/april-medical-bill-of-month-143k-snakebite-antivenin/
excerpts from the article
Quote:
Summer Bummer: A Young Camper’s $142,938 Snakebite
The snake struck a 9-year-old hiker at dusk on a nature trail. The outrageous bills struck her parents a few weeks later.
Total Bill: $142,938, including $67,957 for four vials of antivenin. ($55,577.64 was charged for air ambulance transport.) The balance included a ground ambulance charge and additional hospital and physician charges, according to the family’s insurer, IU Health Plans.
The average list price for CroFab is $3,198 per vial, according to the health care information tech company Connecture.
A Mexican version of snake antivenin can cost roughly $200. But it couldn’t be sold in the U.S.
In Oakley’s case, St. Vincent Evansville hospital charged $16,989.25 for each unit of CroFab, according to the facility’s bill. That’s more than five times as high as the average list price.
WellRithms analyzed Oakley’s bill from St. Vincent Evansville at Kaiser Health News’ request and found providers generally accept $16,159.70 for all four vials of the drug.
In a statement, St. Vincent Evansville noted that the family was not responsible for that full tab and instead was expected to pay less than $3,500. But the facility appears to have since lowered its price for CroFab. According to its price list — posted online to satisfy a recent federal requirement — the drug now costs $5,096.76 per vial.
And the snake antivenin market now has another drug competing for patients: Anavip. The Mexican product — launched in October — has a list price of $1,220 a vial in the U.S, a fraction of what Latin Americans pay for it, according to Rare Disease Therapeutics, which distributes the drug in the U.S.
Oakley’s foot is healed, but her toe bends slightly downward and is sensitive to pressure.
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If you even get bit, don't assume the medical folks know what they are doing. I'm not saying that they don't, I'm just saying don't assume that they do.
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