The paramedic in the ambulance checked on the antivenom serum availability.
The information quickly came back.
City People's Hospital had anti-viper serum and anti-cobra serum.
The affiliated hospital had anti-Silver Ring Snake serum and anti-Five-step Snake serum.
And the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine stocked anti-Five-step Snake serum and polyvalent antivenom serum.
This was where the problem lay.
Because they didn't know what type of snake had bitten the patient, they couldn't just use any of the highly specific monovalent antivenom serums.
Using the wrong one wouldn't just be ineffective; the foreign proteins in the serum could trigger a more severe anaphylactic shock and hasten the patient's death.
The only option, it seemed, was the polyvalent antivenom serum stocked by the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which could cover a variety of common venomous snakes.
