Snake Bites Treatment: Life Saving Steps and Myths

Despite the vast medical advancement in snake bite treatment and the widespread availability of snake anti-venom, there are still not enough people getting the knowledge they need to know about preventing snake attacks and knowing the actual proper steps involved for bite treatment. According to Science Daily, atleast 100,000 people worldwide are killed by bites from venomous snakes annually, with double of that statistic permanently disabled as a result of the venom. To fight this problem, life saving snake bite treatment steps must be learned and all the medical myths (practices once used) must be done away with for the safety of everyone.

Snake Bite Treatment - Educate Yourself and Others; Understand the Species Involved

One of the most 'popular' phobias in the world is the phobia of snakes; known as ophidiophobia. Since prehistoric times, snakes have ended up killing humans over nearly all the continents. People learned, especially in ancient times when there were no methods of bite treatment or anti-venom, that getting bitten was a one way ticket. There was no going back. We did not have a proper understanding of molecular cell biology at the time to realize what snake venom does to human tissues on the microscopic scale.

Different species of snakes require different methods of bite treatment, as well as the specific type of anti-venom. Snakes only bite if they are provoked but some snakes become aggressive when cornered or if you are near their offspring. Usually people are bitten when they accidentally step on a well-camouflaged snake. They don't have full protection for their feet with boots and so the bites usually occur at the lower extremeties. The majority of these incidents happen to individuals wearing sandals, a trait of much of the world's population.

Most of the victims of snake bites come from an impoverished demographic in rural locations across the world. Snake bites often go unreported and no bite treatment is given because the victims are alone or their friends have no idea what to do. Sometimes (which is usually the case), the most known bite treatment methods in pop have been outmoded by medical research.

Medical Myths of Bite Treatment - The "Do Nots"

The problem today is that educational resources that explain the steps aren't proportionally distributed to the people with respect to those who need it most (people living in locations of high snake bite frequency). These treatment steps are filled with medical myth, such as the idea that sucking out the venom can save the person. Sucking out venom only has the chance of introducing bacteria, which can cause an infection. In a study with pigs published in the Journal of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine by the University School of Medicine in California, it is shown that doing so may cause necrosis of the tissue, leading to apoptosis - programmed cell death.

U of C has also proven with a clinical study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine journal that less than a thousandth of the venom injected is removed by suction, which is too little to make a difference.

Using a tourniquet to the attacked part of the body should not be done because it completely restricts the blood flow. This increases the chance of having that limb amputated by the time the victim can reach a hospital. However those are worst case scenarios. The bottom line is that a compression bandage works well and is safer.

Remember, do not use ice. It does nothing to the venom and can cause frostbite. Electric shocks can do more harm to the tissue and disrupt the heart's natural electrical activity. Alcohol causes blood vessel dilation, which increases the absorption rate of the venom - so it's not worth drinking even if it numbs the pain. As the blood vessels get bigger, the more snake venom is allowed passage in your body.

And for the record, be aware of your surroundings and confirm if the snake isn't still around as a threat. Scientific American reported a wild event on August 10th, 2007, when a snake bit a hapless man after its head was cut off.

Snake Bite Treatment - The Main Steps to Take

Cynthia Dennison Haines, MD of Web MD has reviewed the steps and information one needs to take, and there is much more advice and educational resources on first aid here.

First, make sure no second bites occur. Snakes can use venom successively with each strike. Try to identify the snake so the correct anti-venom can be chosen to treat the bite. This also tells you if the snake is venomous or non-venomous. Most species of snakes are actually non-venomous and the ones that are sometimes deliver no venom at all when they attack, which are called dry bites.

Now when the victim is bitten, remove all items that constrict blood flow, such as a ring or a necklace. The area of the wound may swell and it is dangerous if the circulation is cut off. The American Red Cross in the FDA Consumer Magazine asserts washing the site of the bite wound with soap and water, which is also important in incidents of rabies bites. Never use any chemicals on the bite wound.

Before transporting the victim to a hospital or other medical facility, use a splint. Make sure the limb doesn't go completely numb. Keep the affected body part below heart level to minimize the amount of returning blood carrying the toxic venom to your organs.

The bitten limb should be used as little as possible because more movement causes more absorption of the venom into the bloodstream. It helps to have it immobilized with the splint instead of a tourniquet.

Stay Calm and Understand the Nature of Snakes First

Keeping the victim calm keeps him and you from making hasty decisions brought on by panic. Plus, you don't want him to be thinking depressing thoughts, do you? Remain confident and remember the bite treatment steps you learned.

In the end, the animal species should not be the one antagonized. Snakes are more afraid of us than vice versa and we kill far more of them than they kill us in self-defense. The chance of ever being bitten by a snake is slim. The real challenge is about educating people about the right steps of bite treatment and prevention, and making the availability of the anti-venom more common in places of rural background, where snake bites are most frequent.

References:

Wilderness Environ Med. 2000 Fall;11(3):180-8.
Ann Emerg Med. 2004 Feb;43(2):181-6.
John Henkel, "For Goodness Sakes, Treating and Preventing Venomous Bites", US Food and Drug Administration