A little girl in Arizona suffered from snake venom coursing through her veins for 30 hours after doctors dismissed her symptoms.
Allie Brasfield, 7, was on a family vacation earlier this month when she tripped on the grass and quickly brushed it off to continue playing.
The next day, her left foot swelled and turned purple, with the discoloration beginning to spread down her leg.
Local doctors were stunned and initially sent the family home, but Allie became violently ill.
It wasn’t until the Brasfields went to a larger hospital in nearby Phoenix that doctors learned she had been bitten by a rattlesnake.
Doctors from two different emergency departments saw Allie’s leg and thought her ankle was sprained. They performed X-rays and other tests but did not detect the snake venom
The girl had to undergo blood transfusions and two surgeries when doctors realized the cause of her injury.
Antivenom is most effective within 24 hours of a bite. Considering that 30 hours had passed before Allie got the antidote she needed, her family considers it fortunate that their daughter is still alive.
It is not clear what type of surgeries doctors specifically performed, but usually when venom causes severe swelling, doctors need to make incisions in the skin and connective tissue surrounding the muscles to reduce swelling and pressure on the muscles.
Doctors may also need to remove dead tissue destroyed by the venom to prevent infection.
The terrifying ordeal began earlier this month during a family trip to Gilbert Regional Park in Arizona.
The family was enjoying their day next to the canal when Allie tripped and fell, thinking she had sprained her ankle.
She saw no rustling in the grass and heard the characteristic rattling sound.
Allie said, “It didn’t hurt right away.”
When the family returned home, Allie’s leg continued to swell and she became nauseous.
Her mother Amber took her to the hospital, where doctors took x-rays. When nothing seemed broken, they ruled it a sprain and sent the family home.
They went to another emergency department for a second opinion that same day and were sent home.
Mrs Brasfield said: ‘The first one said it was a sprained ankle and sent us home.
‘The second didn’t know what it was. They were great and did blood work and imaging to find out, but they didn’t know either.”
Since a third hospital discovered her body had been poisoned by rattlesnake venom, Allie has undergone two surgeries and will undergo a third this week to restore blood flow to her leg.
Allie’s nausea got worse and she started vomiting.
When the family arrived at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Mrs. Brasfield said her husband asked if this could be the result of a rattlesnake bite.
She reported that doctors performed a toxicology test, which showed rattlesnake venom in her blood. There are many species of rattlesnakes and it is not known which specific species bit Allie.
Mortality rates vary, but death is quite rare, ranging from three percent without antivenom and 0.3 percent with treatment.
The American Poison Control Center estimates mortality at one death per 736 patients.
However, serious complications can occur as a result of a bite, including tissue loss, deformity, or loss of certain bodily functions, depending on where the bite occurs.
In the most extreme cases, amputation may be necessary. In Allie’s case, doctors were able to reduce swelling in her leg and restore blood flow to the area, and she saved her leg.
She also needed 40 vials of antivenom, which her mother said was because the poison had been in her daughter’s body for so long. For reference, the typical dose to be administered immediately after the bite is between four and twelve vials.
Allie’s father, Keith Brasfield, said, “It was the scariest moment I’ve ever experienced in my life, and I went on for days, not knowing if she was going to make it.”
According to her family’s GoFundMe page, Allie will have to undergo a third surgery to help cover the enormous medical costs. However, the family has not said specifically what the operation is aimed at.
Allie will undergo physical and occupational therapy to regain the function of her leg
In Gilbert, Arizona, the most common rattlesnake species is the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Their insurance does not cover the antivenom treatments, which can cost as much as $17,000 each.
Mrs Brasfield said: ‘They hope that only with physiotherapy and occupational therapy she will be able to make a full recovery.
“Nothing about her case is normal.”
Allie will need to undergo more physical and occupational therapy to regain strength in her leg. She still cannot put any weight on it and uses a wheelchair.
Rattlesnake bites are relatively rare: About 8,000 people are bitten each year by some type of venomous snake. About 10 to 15 people die from the poison.
The bites lead to severe pain and swelling where the bite occurred. It often causes excessive bleeding, nausea, and swelling in the throat, making it difficult to breathe.
The venom in snakes’ fangs damages tissues and affects circulation by destroying skin and blood cells, leading to internal bleeding.
The venom consists mainly of hemotoxic components, which are substances that specifically target the blood and vascular systems.