Hospital Bills Man $150K After Attempted Rattlesnake Selfie Results in Bite

[jason73]

A San Diego man learned there can be a heavy price to pay, both physically and monetarily, when you try to take a selfie with a rattlesnake.

Todd Fassler yanked the venomous snake from a bush while attempting to take a photo with it. The snake, of course, bit Fassler on the arm.

Fassler said, “My whole body was shaking. It was gyrating. He literally paralyzed my whole body. My tongue was sticking out of my mouth. My eyes were off to the side.”

Fassler is recovering from the bite, but recovering from the sticker shock may take even longer. He received a hospital bill for $153,161 after depleting two hospitals of its antivenin.

ABC 10 reports an average venomous snake bite requires 12 viles of antivenin. Currently each vile of antivenin costs the patient an average of $5,000.

The price is so high because it takes a lot of resources to produce the antivenin. Another factor is the lack of competition. Only one producer means the price will be higher.

So, do you think Fassler learned his lesson?

 

[Splinty]

ABC 10 reports an average venomous snake bite requires 12 viles of antivenin. Currently each vile of antivenin costs the patient an average of $5,000.

The price is so high because it takes a lot of resources to produce the antivenin. Another factor is the lack of competition. Only one producer means the price will be higher.

There's no regulation here stopping competition. There just isn't any because its expensive as fuck to make and is a rather niche item. In 4 years at a level one trauma center, it was used about once every 2-3 months.
In a smaller hospital, I used it once in three years.

You have to take a snake, raise it free of disease, take its venom, inject it into another animal (horses), collect the horse blood, scoop out the antibodies, clean everything down and store it in a way to not destroy everything AND that has a shelf life, send it to a hospital. Then when you need it, you have to have a physician make a judgement that you need it (not every bite injects venom and you don't want to waste this stuff!) call a phramacist and have them reconstitute this antivenom into a liquid, then have it administered to you in an ICU with a lot of monitoring and nursing support...because beyond the original snake bite the antivenom can cause you to have anaphylaxis. You also should have a surgeon consulted as a local reaction may cause you to get compartment syndrome and lose your limb without immediate surgery to release the pressure or cut off the necrotized tissue.

So I hear bitching about prices and all I think is how amazing it is that this exist. It is expensive because for all purposes its a niche product. Low volume and high risk = high price.

It'll never get cheap until we can custom engineer the antibodies straight from the lab.

 

[BJTT-Rizzo]

I've never encountered one in my travels. If I did I sure as hell wouldn't make mockery of its lethal potential. The vast majority of the snake population here is held by the garter.I don't even touch them.

 

[Splinty]

I've never encountered one in my travels. If I did I sure as hell wouldn't make mockery of its lethal potential. The vast majority of the snake population here is held by the garter.I don't even touch them.

Three things are true with 90% of snake bites.

Young, Male, Drunk.

They go screw around with a snake. Herp derp, get bit. Well yeah.Stop screwing with nature.

But the thing I was amazed to see several times, is that they go to pick up the snake AFTER getting bit so they can bring the snake with them! There's a misconception that you need the snake identity to give antivenom. It's not true or worth the gamble. Almost all snake bites you're gonna get in the USA are from Crotalidae. This covers almost everything you're gonna think of in the wild except the coral snake.
We use crofab which is from sheep. We used to have coral snake antivenom accessible but the manufacturer stopped making it so I think I'd have to call the zoo if I really needed it.

We have four poisonous snakes in my region. Coral, rattesnake, water mocasin, and copperhead. Crofab works for three. Coral snakes just don't inject venom unless you are super dumb. They have little tiny teeth like lizards with small fangs and have to practically gnaw on you to get any inside. Just don't pick it up and you're almost always fine!
The rest all respond to the same one antivenom. And without the snake we can look at your blood to guess the snake type. Copperhead? No coagulopathies. Cottonmouth and rattlesnake? coagulopathy. With the same treatment.

Get bit? go the ER! And don't keep messing with the snake. And for the love of god don't bring it with you. Some guy brought his water moccasin in one time in a plastic bin. Why on earth do I want that in the ER?!?

 

[BJTT-Rizzo]

Some guy brought his water moccasin in one time in a plastic bin. Why on earth do I want that in the ER?!?

You gotta be shittin' me.lol Let me guess, redneck?

 

[ThatOneDude]

It amazes me we never got bit, we used to catch rattlers and vipers out in California.

 

[Punch]

All i can hear in my head is Bill Burr: "Were ya' fuckin' with it?!"

 

[jason73]

I killed 3 snakes in my yard last summer.my old ass neighbor killed 2.he got venom on his hand and it swelled up huge.your not supposed to kill them but fuck letting them live where my kid plays.

 

[Punch]

I killed 3 snakes in my yard last summer.my old ass neighbor killed 2.he got venom on his hand and it swelled up huge.your not supposed to kill them but fuck letting them live where my kid plays.

Agreed. Killed a 5 ft. cottonmouth, and a 4 ft. copperhead in the yard this year alone.

They were coming right for us!

 

[girlandcoconut]

There's no regulation here stopping competition. There just isn't any because its expensive as fuck to make and is a rather niche item. In 4 years at a level one trauma center, it was used about once every 2-3 months.
In a smaller hospital, I used it once in three years.

You have to take a snake, raise it free of disease, take its venom, inject it into another animal (horses), collect the horse blood, scoop out the antibodies, clean everything down and store it in a way to not destroy everything AND that has a shelf life, send it to a hospital. Then when you need it, you have to have a physician make a judgement that you need it (not every bite injects venom and you don't want to waste this stuff!) call a phramacist and have them reconstitute this antivenom into a liquid, then have it administered to you in an ICU with a lot of monitoring and nursing support...because beyond the original snake bite the antivenom can cause you to have anaphylaxis. You also should have a surgeon consulted as a local reaction may cause you to get compartment syndrome and lose your limb without immediate surgery to release the pressure or cut off the necrotized tissue.

So I hear bitching about prices and all I think is how amazing it is that this exist. It is expensive because for all purposes its a niche product. Low volume and high risk = high price.

It'll never get cheap until we can custom engineer the antibodies straight from the lab.

Sounds to me like the ROI isn't anywhere near worth it. It would be much more efficient to avoid snakes.

 

[Stillmatic]

Good!!

 

[jason73]

this is so fucked up to me as a canadian.if someone gets bit here they just go to the hospital and its covered by MSP insurance

 

[Stillmatic]

this is so fucked up to me as a canadian.if someone gets bit here they just go to the hospital and its covered by MSP insurance

but do you get billed for being an idiot fucking with a snake?

 

[jason73]

but do you get billed for being an idiot fucking with a snake?

lol its free to be an idiot in canada but you have a monthly MSP bill

 

[BJTT_Pella]

lol its free to be an idiot in canada but you have a monthly MSP bill

Is that like taxes lol.

 

[jason73]

Is that like taxes lol.

its dirty commie socialism my friend .

 

[jason73]

would you rather pay 50-75 buck a month or 150k in one lump sum?

 

[ThatOneDude]

would you rather pay 50-75 buck a month or 150k in one lump sum?

Is that 50-75 pre or post taxed when it gets taken out?

 

[BJTT_Pella]

would you rather pay 50-75 buck a month or 150k in one lump sum?

But i still pay that 50-75 a month at laest. Plus my $400 medical ins and of course have co pays and med ins only covers 80%. I think i would rather just pay your 50-75 if thats all it really costs. In not in anyway trying to start that debate.

 

[BJTT_Pella]

Is that 50-75 pre or post taxed when it gets taken out?

Im sure its pre tax. At least i hope.

 

[ThatOneDude]

Im sure its pre tax. At least i hope.

You never know, but I agree, I also assume it's pre tax

 

[jason73]

But i still pay that 50-75 a month at laest. Plus my $400 medical ins and of course have co pays and med ins only covers 80%. I think i would rather just pay your 50-75 if thats all it really costs. In not in anyway trying to start that debate.

ya me either .its a whole can of worms i dont want to open

 

[jason73]

Is that 50-75 pre or post taxed when it gets taken out?

idk it goes off a percentage of what you make.some people pay zero

 

[jason73]

the moral of the story is dont pick up venomous snakes

 

[BJTT_Pella]

Back to the topic. Can the DR make the call that "this fucking person deserved to be bitten and will in all likelyhood die anyway and recieve a Darwin award in the future. Save the precious and valuable anti venom for a kid, or someone who isnt at fault for being bitten."

Well its to damn bad then.