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4w ago

Man Survives Rattlesnake Bites After Local Hospital Exhausts Antivenom

A 54‑vial treatment followed by an urgent transfer to Stanford highlights how severe envenomations can overwhelm small hospitals, straining regional antivenom supplies.

Rattlesnakes were especially active this spring after a massive heat wave in March.
Afternoon autumn aerial view of the Feather River as it runs through Oroville, Calif.
Chris Howarth was eventually flown to Stanford Hospital to get more antivenom.

Overview

  • Chris Howarth, visiting family in Oroville, was bitten twice by a rattlesnake on May 26, with one fang puncturing a vein and sending venom into his bloodstream.
  • Oroville Hospital gave repeated antivenom doses but by about day six had used 36 vials and the patient developed disseminated intravascular coagulation, a dangerous clotting disorder.
  • The hospital arranged an urgent air transfer to Stanford Medical Center the same day, where clinicians administered 18 more vials and provided transfusions during a 12‑day hospitalization.
  • Howarth returned home to Meridian, Idaho, in June but remains unable to work and is recovering from lingering symptoms while his family has launched a GoFundMe to help with expenses.
  • State officials say most snakebites need only a few vials but dosing can vary widely, and hospitals without large antivenom stocks must call suppliers, consult poison control, or transfer patients, a challenge made sharper this season by increased rattlesnake activity after a March heat wave.