Bites of venomous reptiles

Bites by venomous reptiles are statistically of minor importance in North America, especially as regards medically significant envenomations. However, they may assume a greater relative incidence in warmer regions and always manage to generate public and professional interest wherever they occur. Unproved and potentially hazardous first-aid and institutional therapies must be subjected to scrutiny in the future. Current research in the area of more specific and less reactive antivenin products is encouraging, and it appears that a consensus approach to the care of the bitten patient is emerging. Physicians are encouraged to consult with regional poison control centers in the care of these patients unless they are well experienced in this unique and complicated area.