The Dr should of waited till the patient showed systemic signs of envenomation.Typical signs presented can be,ptosis,excessive saliva,difficulty swallowing,opthalmalplegia,elevated co2 in arterial gases etc etc.(not necessarily in that order)Once the patient shows signs of envenomation then AV should be administered.Its a waste of expensive AV,exposing the patient to possible dangers to allergic reactions then or in the future, and exposing him to serum sickness(painfull joints)As you pointed out coral snake bites can take a while to show signs of envenomation hence why patients should be monitored for min 12hrs,if nothing shows they can be sent home with a list of complications that may arise and to contact the hospital asap.
John

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• Man survives coral snake bite press item - budman 1st, Tue May 4 18:37:39 2004
• RE: Man survives coral snake bite press item - Buzztail1, Tue May 4 19:13:05 2004
• RE: Man survives coral snake bite press item - Greg Longhurst, Tue May 4 21:21:29 2004
• RE: Man survives coral snake bite press item - cascavel, Wed May 5 09:04:53 2004
• To answer your question... - psilocybe, Wed May 5 10:57:15 2004
• organ failure? - budman 1st, Wed May 5 12:11:21 2004
• RE: organ failure? - rabies, Wed May 5 13:47:44 2004
• RE: organ failure? - psilocybe, Wed May 5 13:54:23 2004
• RE: organ failure? - WW, Wed May 5 15:29:09 2004
• Thanks for the clarification on kraits, Wolfgang n/p - psilocybe, Wed May 5 15:41:00 2004