First Aid for snake bite?

Question

snake bites are sometimes deadly , what actually causes death, how one can save life, is a tight bandage above 6 inches the bite really works, diff venoms work diff ways, why do people still believe tie a bandage, suck and spit the venom out which is no longer the right thing.

Answer 1

There are essentially 2 kinds of snake venom: Neurotoxins and hemotoxins.

Hemotoxins are the more common. This is a poison whichcauses local tissue damge, damges blood ceels and interferes with the blood's ability to clot. It can cause severe swelling and bleeding. This venom usually takes longer to work, there are exceptions. Rattle snakes, copper heads and other pit vipers carry this kind of poison.

The neurotoxins cause paralysis by stopping the way that the nerves signal the muscles to work. Typically these bites are worse than the hemotoxins. Often the onset of the poison can be within minutes with death soon to follow. These are the cobras and coral snakes.

We don't suck the blood out because you can't. You damage the skin and increase the risk of infection by putting your mouth on the wound. Tourniquets have gone in and out of favor for use in snake bite. Some theories suggest that it holds the venom in the affected extremity and away from the rest of the body... True, but it also keeps it in higher concentration so it will do more damage in the area of the bite. In the current first aid guidelines for snake but tourniquets are NOT recommended. The recommendations are: Immobilize the extremity. Get the patient to the hospital. The euphemism that is often used is, "The best first aid for a snake bite is a set of car keys."

At the hospital, we will have various forms of antivenin that will counteract and help eliminate the toxins from the blood stream.

Remember:
1. The vast majority of snakes are NOT poisonous.
2. Most snake bites that do take place are provoked by the victim.
3. Not all bites from poisonous snakes carry venom. Up to 50% can be dry-bite.
4. Not all bites from a venomous snake are deadly, some require no antivenin at all.

Answer 2

DO NOT cut, suck, or use a tourniquet on a snake bite. Only use an elasticised pressure bandage, splint the limb and immobilise the patient, then transport to medical help.

Refer to web site at -
www.usyd.edu.au/anaes/venom/snakebite.html -
for the correct procedure for applying a pressure bandage. You'll also see the "fair dinkum" snakes we have "down under"!

Don't wash or wipe the wound as the residue venom and aid in identification of what type of snake that the bite is from.

Answer 3

Okay, first thing...don't panic.

Remove snake teeth from skin.

Once the snake is rid of, find as many post-it notes as possible. Apply sticky side to the wound. This may sound odd, but there is a chemical in the stick-part of post-it notes (called gramerfetizenate, also known as grammy), that reacts with the venom from the snake and kills it, also aiding in production of white blood cells, which will prevent festering. Hold post-it on skin, tightly for 20-30 minutes.

*warning: the combination of venom and grammy sometimes causes bubbling to occur, do not worry, this is normal...you're skin will grow back. The epidermis is a extraordinarily resilient organ of the body that can heal itself.

Next step...soak wound in tepid diet cherry vanilla coke for an hour. Dabbing will not do, you MUST SOAK THE WOUND. the venom will be extracted through the carbonation.

*warning: DO NOT, i repeat, DO NOT drink soda after soaking procedure is done, this is very unhealthy and may result in the venom re-entering the system orally.

Next, wait. Resting helps, the more sleep the better. However, unfortunately for the next few nights, it is highly recommended that one sleeps standing up to circulate the blood flow again.

GOOD LUCK AND STEER CLEAR OF POSIONOUS SNAKES!!!!

Answer 4

the only for sure way of preventing death is getting to an ER with that carries anti-venom asap. Only use a Tourniquet as a last resort. Write the time that it was applied on the person's forehead so the ER knows. NEVER TAKE IT OFF AFTER APPLYING! watch your step with snake areas. That in itself is a good way to avoid bites!