>>Budman,
>>
>>You're right, I need to proofread my posts better
>>I do believe though that kraits in general can cause organ failure after the "latency" period following the bite, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong...

Actually, krait bites also kill primarily through respiratory failure, but you are absolutely right about the latency period and the benefits of early a/v.

Giving a/v immediately is certainly recommended in at least some coral snake bite protocols I have seen. Once neurotoxic symptoms set in after coral snake bites, they are not easily reversed, particularly if presynaptic neurotoxins are involved (I believe they are in many coral snakes) - by the time symptoms appear, the damage is done. Respiratory failure is always a serious matter, even with mechanical ventilation in an ICU - there are a number of risk factors associated with that, including forms of pneumonia etc., quite apart from it being a fairly unpleasant experience. If early a/v injection can prevent systemic neurotoxicity from developing, then injecting it before symptoms develop may be a lesser risk than waiting. Also, i don't have the detailed costings for this sort of thing, but I suspect that a few days on a respirator in ICU, keeping a consultant busy, will cost you considerably more than the few vials of antivenom required for a coral snake bite - anyone have any more detailed info on that?

Cheers,

Wolfgang
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