Another hospital incompetence story

[SCReptiles]

A friend called me last night and told me he had been envenomiated. I was already on the road, so I went over to his apartment to access the damage. He had took a bite on the middle knuckle of the left index figure. I marked off the bite, then marked and timed the pain and swelling line. When the swelling made it to the wriest, he decided he wanted to go to the ER. I took him to Memorial in Chattanooga, TN, which is where I go with mine. Up until last night, I had always been impressed with this operation. The ER was backed up and they took probably a half hour to triage. Since this was a minimal envenomation I didn’t say too much. Had we been there with a cobra or EDB bite, I would have kicked the door in and carried him to the back. So, after a half hour or so wait, they took him in and got his story and insurance info. The attendant tells him to go back out and wait, they will get to him asap. She then says, “Dr Champion says not to worry copperhead bites are not fatal.” The Dr made this diagnosis without even looking at him. For all she knew, he could have been in the middle of an anaphylactic reaction. I asked the lady to inform Dr Champion that a perfectly healthy young man died from a copperhead bite last summer in LA.

If this had been a severe envenmation, the half hour they wasted before they talked to him could have been the difference in him losing his hand or even life and death. And the statement from Dr Champion should be grounds for a malpractice lawsuit.