Resuscitation
Attend to ABC’s
- Airway: obtain a patent airway. Guedel's or ETT as indicated.
- Breathing: EAR, bagging or mecchanical ventilation as indicated. Tracheotomy may be contraindicated where coagulopathy is present.
- Circulation: cardiac massage or inotropes as indicated.
Obtain IV access. Collect blood for:
- FBE
- U&E
- CK
- full coags, including fibrinogen and XDPs (where coags not available consider 20-minute whole blood clotting test.
Urinalysis:
- FWT
- In snakebite cases, snake venom detection kit.
Last updated: July 2005
