Successful treatment with antivenin of marked thrombocytopenia without significant coagulopathy following rattlesnake bite.

We cared for two rattlesnake bite victims who developed platelet counts of 21,000/mm3 and 22,000/mm3. Both had only mild defibrination without evidence of intravascular clotting. In both cases, the administration of antivenin was followed promptly by a sustained rise in platelet counts.