| pit viper bites: rational management in locales in which copperheads and cottonmouths predominate. | the management of pitviper bites remains controversial. in order to better assess the efficacy of different treatment modalities, charts of 107 patients hospitalized for pitviper bites at university of north carolina hospitals between 1952 and 1992 were retrospectively reviewed. the series included 68 copperhead bites (64%), 8 cottonmouth bites (7%), 3 rattlesnake bites (3%), and 28 bites (26%) in which the snake could not be identified. first aid measures taken prior to hospitalization included ... | 1996 | 8659952 |