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A 13-year-old boy was bitten by a Northern Pacific Rattlesnake near Yosemite National Park in California. After a 4-hour transport down a 4.5 mile trail, a 30-minute helicopter ride to the hospital and a transfer to the closest trauma center, he was treated 5 hours after the bite. At University of California Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, he was given 30 vials of antivenin. The patient underwent a fasciotomy, which involved cutting open his arm from the palm up to about the middle of the biceps. After 13 surgeries and $700,000 worth of helicopter flights, surgeries and hospital stays in 20 months, his hand is about 80 percent as strong as before the bite. View the photo gallery for a progression of his surgeries and wound care.
- Listen to the interview with Scott Thigpen, DNP, RN, CCRN, CEN, assistant professor of nursing at South Georgia College, Douglas, GA.
- Read about snake bite management.
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