DOCTOR PRAISED FOR EFFORTS IN SNAKE BITE VICTIM’S EPIC FIGHT FOR LIFE

Toxin specialist brings taipan victim back from dead

A DOCTOR who literally wrote the book on how to treat snake bite victims is being credited with helping a Yorkeys Knob man bitten by a deadly taipan fight the odds.

David Pitt, 77, remained in a critical condition in the intensive care unit in Cairns Hospital yesterday after he was bitten by the highly venomous snake in his Cathy St home on Tuesday night.

Mr Pitt had discovered the taipan in his bedroom and had tried to remove the reptile using a pair of kitchen tongs, before the animal bit him twice on the foot.

A bite from a coastal taipan, considered one of the most venomous snakes in the world, can result in a “high lethality potential”, according to the University of Adelaide.

However, hospital insiders have praised the efforts of emergency physician Dr Mark Little, whose experience with animal toxins has helped keep Mr Pitt alive for several days since he was bitten.

“He’s basically brought this guy back from the dead,” a clinician said.

Dr Little also led a team of clinicians to treat Victorian tourist Ayllie White, 39, who was stung by an irukandji jelly- fish while snorkelling off Fitzroy Island last month.

Ms White, who was stung on the neck by the potentially deadly animal, suffered heart failure and spent two days in the hospital’s ICU before she recovered.

Dr Little, who is also an Associate Professor at James Cook University’s College of Public Health, Medical and Vet Sciences, helped author the Toxicology Handbook for medical professionals in 2011.

The book details how to treat patients who have been envenomated by species of snakes, spiders and jellyfish.

University of Queensland venom expert Bryan Fry said, if Mr Pitt survived, it would take some time for him to recover from the snake bite.

“Some of the muscle damage and nerve damage might be very prolonged,” Dr Fry said. “If it’s an elderly person, that is definitely going to exaggerate the effects and slow the recovery.”

The taipan that bit Mr Pitt was spotted in one of his neighbour’s yards just hours before he was bitten in his home, however a reptile removalist called out to catch it was unable to find the animal.