Antivenom for

The Indian folk medicine, called Ayurvedic medicine, can be traced back 3000-5000 years and was practiced by the Brahmin sages of ancient times. The treatments were set out in sacred writings called Vedas. The material medica are extensive and most are based on herbal formulations. Some of the herbs have appeared in Western medicines, such as cardamom and cinnamon. Susruta, a physician in the fourth century ad, described the use of henbane as antivenom for snakebites. 

Offerman SR, Bush SP, Moynihan JA, Clark RF. Cro-taline Fab antivenom for the treatment of children with rattlesnake envenomation. Pediatrics 2002 110(5) 968-71. 

Fan HW, Marcopito LF, Cardoso JL, Franca FO, Malaque CM, Ferrari RA, Theakston RD, Warrell DA. Sequential randomised and double blind trial of promethazine prophylaxis against early anaphylactic reactions to antivenom for bothrops snake bites. BMJ 1999 318(7196) 1451-2. 

Gawarammana IB, Kularatne SA, Dissanayake WP, Kumarasiri RP, Senanayake N, Ariyasena H. Parallel infusion of hydrocortisone + - chlorpheniramine bolus injection to prevent acute adverse reactions to antivenom for snakebites. Med J Aust 2004 180(l) 20-3. 

Dart RC, Seifert SA, Boyer LV, et al. A randomized multicenter trial of Crotalidae polyvalent immune Fab (ovine) antivenom for the treatment for crotaline snakebite in the United States. Arch Intern Med 2001 161 2030-2036. 

Abroug F et al Serotherapy in scorpion envenomation a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 1999 354(9182) 906-909. [PMID 10489950] (Prospective randomized study found no benefit of antivenom for scorpion stings In Tunisia.)... 

An expert extracts venom from a snake, which will later be used to create antivenom for snake bite victims. Snakes can have different types of venom neurotoxins or cytotoxins. Neurotoxins work by blocking nerve function, while cytotoxins destroy cells directly. 

The phenomenon of plasma sequestration and redistribution has been observed for digitalis, colchicine and phencyclidine after Fab infusion (Smith et al, 1976 Sabouraud et al, 1992 Valentine et al, 1994). Such experiments could also be used to determine the optimal route for serum administration, to test the efficiency of a precocious or a delayed serotherapy, to define the dose of antivenom for optimal efficacy and to compare the relative effectiveness of different preparations of antivenoms. Studies similar to those carried out in the case of viper envenomations could be performed in the case of envenomations by other snakes or by scorpion stings and would help to rationalize antivenom treatment. 

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