ANTICOAGULANT EFFECTS OF PSEUDECHIS-AUSTRALIS (AUSTRALIAN KING BROWN SNAKE) VENOM ON HUMAN BLOOD - A COMPUTERIZED THROMBOELASTOGRAPHY STUDY

The crude venom of Pseudechis australis exhibited a dose-dependent anticoagulant action on human blood in vitro using computerized thromboelastography. Clot progress parameters (K and alpha) were affected at low dose levels which had no effect on onset of coagulation parameters (SP, R). At high dose levels there was total anticoagulant effect, but in all cases there was no evidence of fibrinolytic activity. These results generally agree with the known effects of this venom on coagulation in vice, and further support our earlier suggestion that TEG may be a useful, one-step tool in the diagnosis and monitoring of the progress of envenomation patients.