Georgia woman fatally bit by rattlesnake while gardening
An eastern massasauga rattlesnake (USFWS)
WAVERLY, Ga. (AP) - A Georgia woman who was bitten by a rattlesnake while gardening has died.
News outlets report 62-year-old Priscilla Meridith was bitten last month and suffered an allergic reaction and heart attack that left her in a medically induced coma she never woke up from.
Meridith's family says she suffered the heart attack and organ failure while she was hospitalized. She died last week.
Relatives say Meridith wasn't given anti-venom while treated at the Southeast Georgia Health System Brunswick Campus, as hospital staff said Meridith was allergic. The hospital's emergency medical director, Dr. Mohsen Aklaghi, says staff followed Georgia Poison Control recommendations.
Poison Control Managing Director Dr. Gaylord Lopez tells WJAX-TV that allergic patients can still be given antivenom if they're "good candidates" based factors including medical history and vital signs.