Thanks for attaching the PDF of the original study article. I agree this looks promising but I'd just like to add a couple of points.
At this stage, there is no recommendation as to the amount or rectogesic (dosage), area (in e study the ointment was applied proximally to the bite), requirement for PIM placement before, during or after the application of ointment, reapplication or (more importantly) duration of effect.
How might the duration of effect of GTN ointment affect snake envenomations? GTN has a short half life, that means It wears off very quickly, what are the consequences physiologically if this means a sudden increase in venom dumped into the lymphatic system? Particularly if the PIM has been ignored or ignorantly applied. Rectogesic is an ointment which means that the GTN would be held in suspension and theoretically slowly leach the drug subcutaneously. How variable is this dosage? What are the clinical effects of variability? The answer to these questions is that we don't know yet.
This is why it's important to wait until clinical guidelines are developed before you leap to enormous conclusions about the safety or efficacy of a new treatment.
I'd hate to read in the papers that a reader of this forum was severely envenomated and suffered deleterious consequences because they applied a treatment based upon one paper, or worse delayed or I appropriately applied a known effective treatment.
It is negligent to recommend any treatment until full understanding of its effects under a range of conditions is tested. Landsailor, you state that you contacted the authors of the paper, did they actually recommend that this treatment be implemented in the event of snakebite envenomation? If so can you tell me which researcher recommended it, I'd be interested to communicate with him/her.
If not, on what basis do you recommend it?
Yes, in two years time this may prove to be a safe and efficacious treatment, I have strong suspicions tha the authors of this article are on to something. I also caution readers that using a pharmaceutical to treat snakebite may have unintended consequences for the victim. But, by all means experiment upon yourselves -we may get some interesting data that way.
FYI, I am not a toxicologist I am a crit care nurse and have treated snakebites in the field, including using a snakebite detection kit, and also in ICU hours post-envenomation. I am not an expert in toxicology which is why I tend to rely on those that are and use caution and clinical judgement before experimenting on humans with new treatments. Would I use rectogesic? Not yet. Why not? Because PIM applied early works.