Finding into death of Shane Kyle Tatti

27y · Male·Complications of snake bite

Shane Kyle Tatti, a 27-year-old gardener, died from complications of tiger snake envenomation. After a vigorous bite on 6 November 2014, he received one vial of tiger snake antivenom at Orbost Hospital 62 minutes post-bite, consistent with then-current guidelines. Despite appropriate initial management and rapid transfers to Bairnsdale and Austin Hospitals, he developed severe progressive myotoxicity, rhabdomyolysis, coagulopathy, renal failure and shock, dying 2 days later. The coroner found conflicting expert opinion: two toxicologists questioned whether single-dose antivenom was adequate for severe envenomings, while the guideline author argued the massive venom load caused irreversible muscle damage before antivenom could act. The case highlights uncertainty around optimal antivenom dosing in extreme envenoming cases and the tension between evidence-based population guidelines and individual clinical outliers.