B.C. man survives viper bite thanks to help from Woodland Park Zoo
SEATTLE -- A British Columbia man who was bitten by a poisonous viper snake while vacationing in Costa Rica is now recovering in the hospital, thanks to an important assist from Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo.
The 61-year-old man said he was bitten during the night and didn't realize it was from a viper. He did seek treatment in Costa Rica, but due to a language barrier, was only given an antibiotic, zoo officials said.
When the man flew back to Vancouver on Monday, he immediately checked into a hospital where he was diagnosed with kidney failure and swelling from his foot to his mid-thigh.
Based on the patient's symptoms, doctors were able to diagnose the bite as from a Fer-de-lance viper whose venom can be fatal to humans.
Medics found that Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle was the closest facility that had the needed antivenin supply and gave them a call for help Tuesday afternoon. The zoo was able to get 20 vials to Harborview Medical Center, where a waiting helicopter flew the antidote to Vancouver.
Doctors said the patient's condition improved within minutes of receiving the treatment and was considered stable in six hours.
"We are just grateful that this man's life was saved and it was very exciting to work with the institutions involved," said Woodland Park Zoo spokeswoman Gigi Allianic. "We hope he makes it to Woodland Park Zoo sometime."
Allianic says the zoo keeps an emergency supply of the antivenin for Mexican species of pit vipers -- including rattlesnakes, cantils, eyelash vipers and bushmasters -- for their staff just in case because they have vipers in their collection. But the zoo is part of a national database that can supply antivenins wherever it's needed.
The 61-year-old man said he was bitten during the night and didn't realize it was from a viper. He did seek treatment in Costa Rica, but due to a language barrier, was only given an antibiotic, zoo officials said.
When the man flew back to Vancouver on Monday, he immediately checked into a hospital where he was diagnosed with kidney failure and swelling from his foot to his mid-thigh.
Based on the patient's symptoms, doctors were able to diagnose the bite as from a Fer-de-lance viper whose venom can be fatal to humans.
Medics found that Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle was the closest facility that had the needed antivenin supply and gave them a call for help Tuesday afternoon. The zoo was able to get 20 vials to Harborview Medical Center, where a waiting helicopter flew the antidote to Vancouver.
Doctors said the patient's condition improved within minutes of receiving the treatment and was considered stable in six hours.
"We are just grateful that this man's life was saved and it was very exciting to work with the institutions involved," said Woodland Park Zoo spokeswoman Gigi Allianic. "We hope he makes it to Woodland Park Zoo sometime."
Allianic says the zoo keeps an emergency supply of the antivenin for Mexican species of pit vipers -- including rattlesnakes, cantils, eyelash vipers and bushmasters -- for their staff just in case because they have vipers in their collection. But the zoo is part of a national database that can supply antivenins wherever it's needed.
Costa Rica 2006 Â My stepfather (76 years old) was bitten twice on the hand by a Eyelash Viper and is still living. Â They believe (village clinic/hospital) what saved him was that the viper was witnessed eating a rat the night before by a guard. Â They felt that it had dumbed most of his venom into the rat. The venom levels in my stepfather were high but not as high as they could have been. Â The whole experience in a village hospital was interesting, no iv poles, no antivenin. Â They sent his blood to San Jose it took 6 hours or more to get the report back. Â In the mean time they gave him morphine, steroids, and 3 antibiotics by iv's. Â I held all the iv's above his head for the whole time trading off with a friend until they were able to get all the meds into him. Â The antivenin arrived 8 hours later and due to his epilepsy they choice not to give it to him for fear the antivenin would kill him. Â So yes a person can survive one of these horrible bites if the viper is not fully loaded with venom. Â He does have long term neurologic side effects from the bite but doing great at 83. Â No one at the village clinic/hospital spoke English and we did not speak Spanish. Â My broken French help with the latin roots of words and a lot of sign language helped. Â I'd post a photo of the actually viper but can't figure out how to post it.Â
Just wait until he gets the $200,000 hospital bill, a single vial of polyvalent snake antivenom can cost $10,000 in America (or like $30 in Mexico). I hope he's got good insurance
@Sean Riney He's a Canadian citizen. He has insurance.
Nice! Good save Woodland Park Zoo.
Always learn to say, "I've been bitten by a poisonous viper" in the native language before you leave home.
@belsnickles That and where's the bathroom right?? :)
@cm257n7 @belsnickles Absolutely!
WOW! Kudos to Vancouver medical staff that day for distinguishing all the symptoms! ALSO way to go Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle you guys had what was needed to save a life!
I wonder what species the snake actually was? The picture associated with this article on the front page is of a Lancehead Viper. I don't think he would have survived a plane ride all the way home after a Lancehead bite.
@Ankle BiterFrom the article: Based on the patient's symptoms, doctors were able to diagnose the bite as from a Fer-de-lance viper whose venom can be fatal to humans.
I know almost nothing about snakes but I thought I had read something years ago that the Fer-de-lance was one of the most poisonous snakes in the world and a bite usually was fatal to humans in a matter of hours.
@Furd @Ankle Biter Fer-de-lance's are one of the world's worst snakes to be bitten by because the venom is not only highly hemotoxic but cytotoxic as well causing a great deal of tissue damage. There could have been other factors such as low amount of venom injected. The Lancehead is probably Central and South America's biggest killer snake bite wise. He's a lucky guy.Â
Years ago, a man inherited a house from his great uncle who died in the war. The house sat on a hill outside of town in the next state and rumors were told that it was haunted. The man traveled to the town to inspect the house and found that it was a wonderful old mansion in great condition, but very, very old. So, he decided to move in and enjoy his inheritance.
A couple weeks after he moved in, late at night, the phone rang. When he answered it, a voice said, "I am the Vinder Viper. I will be there in 2 weeks!" and then it hung up before he could say anything. This really shook the man. The next day, he searched the Internet under 'snakes' for 'vinder viper' but found nothing.
A week past with no concerns and again, late one night, the phone rang. "I am the Vinder Viper. I will be there in 1 week!" and hung up. This made the man quite nervous, not knowing what a vinder viper was. He asked around the town, and no one had ever heard of any such viper. Four days later, late at night, the phone rang. "I am the Vinder Viper. I will be there in 2 days!" The man is getting much more concerned now.
The next evening, the phone rang. "I am the Vinder Viper. I will be there in 1 hour!" The man tries to leave, but his car battery is dead.
Nearly an hour later, the phone rang. "I am the Vinder Viper. I will be there in 2 minutes!" The man runs around locking all the windows and doors and calls 911. The police are on their way.
Soon, there was a knock at the door. The man opened the door a crack and asked, "Is that the police?
"No, I am the vinder viper. I come every month to vash and vipe your vindows."
(
@bmoe1111Â good telling of that joke.
That is one lucky guy. Ferd de Lance's are a very aggressive viper with a highly toxic venom. I've seen them in the Caribbean islands where the locals fear them like nothing else.
@SensationaLies I'm thinking he was bitten by something else less toxic. The news room must have just pulled up some stock photo. People just don't get bit by Lancehead's and fly home without treatment first. They usually get bit and die.
Thats awesome! Glad the guy got the help he needed!
wow, WPZ in the headlines for something not involving death?
"antivenin" - I was not aware of the more modern term for anti-venom. Learn something new every day...
@acepaul
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antivenom
"The name "antivenin" comes from the French word venin, meaning venom, which in turn was derived from Latin venenum, meaning poison.
Historically, the term antivenin was predominant around the world, its first published use being in 1895.[2] In 1981, the World Health Organization decided that the preferred terminology in the English language would be venom and antivenom rather than venin and antivenin or venen and antivenene.[3]"
@oldster70 @acepaul Nice!  I learn something every single day here!  Thank you!
@acepaul Me too, I thought it was anti-venom.Â
@Glen @acepaul The term has always been antivenin. Why? I have no idea as anti-venom certainly sounds more appropriate.