Question about surviving neurotoxic venom?

[aeio540]

I was wondering, if a person gets bit by, say a king cobra. We know that the antivenin is not readily available everywhere. The venom will cripple nervous system and eventually the person will pass out, suffocate to death, defecate in their pants, etc.. . Assuming that the inflicted person reaches a hospital in time, does anyone know what the medical staff can do for them?

I assume that they will basically give you a saline solution (?) IV drip , hook you up to a respirator, and let the venom take it's course. You'll pass out, stop breathing on your own but will be kept alive through the miracle of modern technology. Eventually the venom wears off and you wake up to an expensive medical bill.

Other than that do we know of any permanent damage that may occur? I'm not sure if there is any necrosis or anything that happens from cobra bites.

I don't know anyone who was bit and I don't want to own a cobra but was wondering if anyone knows what would happen in the hospital after you get bit.

[Colin Vestrand]

i've read accounts of people that are envenomated by black mambas and cobras and survive w/o antivenom... from what i remember the doctors did exactly what you said. if they could be kept alive on a ventilator and their fevers kept down then there's a chance for survival.
then again, some venoms do even worse things to ya... like make you bleed from every orifice or permanently damage blood vessels and tissues. i'm not sure which snakes do what off hand... a lot of snakes have venom that does more than one thing - like a cocktail of venoms.