Sarah Watkins, DO, FACEP, Medical Director of the West Texas Poison Center
Sarah Watkins, DO, FACEP, Medical Director of the West Texas Poison Center, can speak on TTH El Paso’s participation as a study site for the BRAVIO clinical trial, which is an international study evaluating a medication that is given in addition to antivenom to try to help patients with snakebites.
This new treatment is novel in that it is the first drug which can be given orally as well as IV. This makes it much more available, and likely at a better price, in more areas, potentially closer to the victim when a bite occurs away from large hospitals.
Antivenom, is expensive, in short supply, needs to be given IV and is available only in limited locations.
The TTH El Paso study site has just enrolled their first patient in El Paso.
- Approximately 5.8 billion people live in regions that place them at risk for being bitten by medically important snakes.
- Texas has a rate of 44.2 snakebites per million people each year, which is considered high.
- The Central Texas Region has the largest number of species. As for parts of Texas where there are many individuals, West Texas, Central Texas and South Texas are definitely locations where snakes can be found. West TX is also known for having more rattlesnake bites than the rest of TX, and rattlesnake bites tend to be worse than copperhead and cottonmouth bites (which are more likely to be seen in the other parts of TX).
- Snakebite envenoming is a time sensitive condition. The venoms start acting immediately. Therapies can stop the action of the venom, but the longer you wait, the more damage occurs.
According to Watkins, in the summer of 2023, the poison center recorded 23 rattlesnake bites in El Paso County, which she said is higher than normal.
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