What to do in case of snakebite?

Best thing is get to the ER asap. Mild tourniquet (like the bandaging from bit to body as mentioned previously) might help. Bites are bad! I like the comments about be still and calm. Get real here! You have just be envenomated. How can you possible be calm and quiet. Also, if you are out in the toolies and have to hike miles back to your vehicle should you do it, or lie down and wait for help to appear?

Don't look at this if you have a weak stomach. Did I mention snake bites are bad?

http://www.rattlesnakebite.org/rattlesnakepics.htm
 
FWIW........maybe something.... maybe nothing

When I was a kid I spent quite a bit of time on the Arizona/Sonora border and got to know a prospector who lived in Arivaca. The subject of snakebite came up and I have not forgotten what he told me.

He said that he had been bitten eight times when out by himself in the hills. His action was to force himself to just lie down in the shade with his feet below his belt and wait for 8 hours before getting up. He was still prospecting into his late sixties.

It was generally accepted by the crowd that I roamed with that if you were bitten and more than a mile or so from help you should just lay down. Running was deemed the worst thing you could do as it "pumped the poison" and made it worse.

I imagine that this would be pretty hard to do.


Slim
 
Slim Wallet said:
...His action was to force himself to just lie down in the shade with his feet below his belt and wait for 8 hours before getting up. He was still prospecting into his late sixties.
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I suspect that this works for no other reason than most snake bites do not envenom.

I further suspect that if he was bitten by a rattlesnake...and the snake envenomed the bite...he'd still be laying in the shade.
 
There may be many more snakes on the plane! If possible try get the pilot to do an emergency landing. If this is not possible, try to find a parachute and jump to safety.
If all else fails get behind Samuel L. Jackson and pray you will be alive to act in the sequel!:D
 
Watchful said:
I suspect that this works for no other reason than most snake bites do not envenom.

I further suspect that if he was bitten by a rattlesnake...and the snake envenomed the bite...he'd still be laying in the shade.
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Watchful......

I wonder if he knew more his own experience than you????

While some "envenomed" bites are fatal or at least quite serious, not all envenomed bites are.

Anybody know what percentage of envenomed bites are fatal?

Slim
 
Slim Wallet said:
I wonder if he knew more his own experience than you????
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I'm confused by your question.

Slim Wallet said:
While some "envenomed" bites are fatal or at least quite serious, not all envenomed bites are...Anybody know what percentage of envenomed bites are fatal?
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Envenomation itself appears to vary remarkably, as different species do not envenom equally; further, it appears that even the same snake (let alone the same species) may envenom more on one bit than another. Many bites go unreported, so the percentages are skewed if the victim survives ("non-fatal").

I guess we should only worry about how many people don't survive the bite, whether they were treated or not. I would assume that 100% of fatalities were envenomed.

So that's a fair question, to which we may get no answer. I have a source here vaguely attributing this to the American Red Cross (but) that only 20-30% of venomous snakes put any venom into the bite. That's for a pit viper, although the guy's accompanying photo is of a rattlesnake. So I'm not sure he's reliable.

eMedicine discusses a few species, and says that envenomation is...

  • between 50-90% for diamondback rattlers
  • between 33-45% for cobras
  • about 60% for Australian browns
  • unknown for US coral snakes (low morbidity; most cases go unreported)
  • unknown for copperheads and moccasins
  • unknown for the mohave rattler

Obviously, that's a big range with a lot of guesses. Sadly, I don't know how much of this is reliable.

But what US percentage of reported bites are fatal? There are 4,000-7,000 bites reported to hospitals/poison control centers/paramedics each year. On average, only 4 people die each year. Picking 4,000 as the lower number, the percentage is 0.1%.

No international stats exist.
 
I think we have to break this discussion into a matrix.

-Can you identify the species of snake (by sight or by region you are in)?

-Are you within ANY proximity of receiving professional help or are you out in the Boonies with little chance of getting help? ie; no cell phone etc.

-Are you Alone or with someone? Does that person have a Clue?
and so on.

What I am getting at, is breaking down each case into a set of circumstances, as much as possible.

Example 1: Hiking alone in southern swamp, snake identified as Moccasin, have cell phone will get help within 1 hour. What do you do?

Example2: Hiking with another seasoned hiker, 2 days out, bitten by a small snake-unidentified, but it did rattle before biting, bite location stings, numb. You are in the Mojave region (maybe Mojave rattler they are small and rattle and you are in the right region to stumble on one?)
No cell phone, very far from civilization. What do you do?

And so on.

The lymphatic bandage may be a good approach for all cases? but, movement toward known or unknown help may or may not be the right thing.

Each case may warrant a different approach.

If you have 0% chance of help within 12 or 24 hrs, maybe the Sawyer extractor is better than nothing.
If you are within 45 mins of professional help, maybe leaving it alone is better, as they can better determine course of action by getting a venom sample.

I think it's better to assume "some level" of envenomation and let a professional tell you it was a dry bite, rather than letting the professional tell you you will lose that limb to necrosis, infection, or whatever.
 
lymphatic wrap?? I couldnt remember the name of it..Thanks ER!!!!


ALWAYS ASSUME THAT YOU ARE ENVENOMATED if you get tagged by a venomous reptile...


BTW...Even a regular snake can "rattle" at you before it bites you...Some of them just are equipped with rattles from birth!! My corns will rattle at ya (they vibrate there tails on the ground...Kings are notorious for this! yea it is amusing when they act all big and bad! ) and they bite me every now and again..lol

Anywho..


I am a member of another forum called Redtailboa.net (same handle as here "leatherface")...There mod over "Hots" is called BWSmith...Go over there and double check everything you might think about venomous reptile's including handing and bites...When they say "he wrote the book"?? well this dude really DID right the book...:D

BTW...Anyone going to the Reptile show in Raliegh NC this coming weekend?? I will be there so say hello!!:D
 
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