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02-May-08, 08:58 PM
|  | Seller | | | |  Help me settle a bet about snake venom
Hi all.
I have a mate (a yank) who thinks that if you're bitten by a rattle snake you should not apply a tourniquet as it will have a confining effect and the bite area will be more severe and intense.
He also says that you should let the venom circulate to dilute the effect. Let the bite area bleed for 30 secs, clean the bite area. Lastly, use an extraction device to remove the venom.
I was always taught to apply a compression bandage all the way up the limb, immobilise it and get medical assistance. Not to clean the bite since medical staff can swab the area to test what type of venom it is. Don't suck the bite it's pointless since the venom is in the lymphatic system and not the blood stream. and by using a bandage the venom is less likley to move to the bloodstream where it can be circulated and kill you.
Maybe rattle snakes are different. but I thought it was the same for all species.
Any comments? |
02-May-08, 09:00 PM
|  | Regular Member | Join Date: Oct-07 Location: Sydney Age/Gender: 34  | | | | I have no idea, but I agree with you. I am interested to see if your friend is right....surely not though. |
02-May-08, 09:06 PM
|  | Jungle Chew Toy Subscriber | Join Date: Jan-08 Location: Gone Fishin' Gender:  | | | this might prove useful. seems to use a pretty std treatment http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/mar/s...rattlesin.html
remember, google is your friend 
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02-May-08, 09:14 PM
|  | Subscriber | Join Date: Sep-07 Location: S.A. Gender: | | | | DO NOT APPLY TOURNIQUET. The bitten limb may be lost due to loss of blood supply. Apply splint & pressure bandage. Try to keep affected limb lower than the heart. It is the same for our Aussie snakes. One thing, mark an X on the outside of the bandage where the bite occurred. That way the paras/ docs don't have to remove the whole bandage to test what snake was involved. They can just cut that bit off.
What did you win??
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02-May-08, 09:14 PM
|  | Regular Member | Join Date: Mar-08 Location: Melbourne Age/Gender: 23 | | | | I watched a series on Foxtel called Venom ER, about a hospital in USA that specialises in treatment of snake bite. I was surprised to see they never user any thing to try and stop the flow of venom through the body, like what all australians have drummed into them. From what i understood it was to do with the nature of rattle snake venom and the amount of swelling it produces. If bound/tornique applied it can lead to tissue death and gangrene.
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02-May-08, 09:17 PM
|  | Regular Member | Join Date: Oct-07 Location: Eastern seaboard Age/Gender: 35 | | | Quote:
Originally Posted by sarah_m  I watched a series on Foxtel called Venom ER, about a hospital in USA that specialises in treatment of snake bite. I was surprised to see they never user any thing to try and stop the flow of venom through the body, like what all australians have drummed into them. From what i understood it was to do with the nature of rattle snake venom and the amount of swelling it produces. If bound/tornique applied it can lead to tissue death and gangrene. | Yeh i love that show the doctor loves his snakes aswell,very interesting viewing. |
02-May-08, 09:27 PM
|  | Yes, that Hix Moderator | Join Date: Mar-04 Location: Sydney | | | Most Australian snake venoms are primarily neurotoxic - they affect the nervous system and kill you by affecting the nerves of the heart and lungs. By keeping the venom confined in one area (with a bandage) you are keeping the neurotoxins from reaching the area where they will do the most damage.
Many exotic crotalids and viperids have venoms that are predominantly haemotoxic or cytotoxic - they attack the blood vessels and eat away at the flesh. The African vipers of the genus Bitis can cause such severe damage that victims are permanently scarred and may need skin grafts. Confining the venom to one area may exacerbate the situation.
I haven't spent a lot of time researching snakebite techniques for those snakes, although I have tried to find out what they do in other countries and the general consensus is "get antivenene ASAP".
Perhaps some of our international members with firsthand experience can share their thoughts? 
Hix
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02-May-08, 09:55 PM
| | Seller | | | | | Thanks for your comments.
We've been researching and it looks like i'm losing.
It's seems that swelling is the reaction that makes the difference. Obviously the venom from this type of animal is different to that of our australian species.
keep the coments coming. |
02-May-08, 10:02 PM
| | Yes, that Hix Moderator | Join Date: Mar-04 Location: Sydney | | | If you want to see some of the damage done by the necrotic venoms of some of the South East Asian Vipers, then go to http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/S...snake-bite.pdf and scroll down to Page 15. WARNING: Graphic images (in black & white). Not for those with weak stomachs.
Hix
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"I'm not young enough to know everything".............Oscar Wilde
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02-May-08, 10:09 PM
|  | Regular Member | Join Date: Sep-03 Location: In the ironically named sunshine coast, surrounded by nerds and nurses | | | | |
02-May-08, 10:37 PM
| | Yes, that Hix Moderator | Join Date: Mar-04 Location: Sydney | | | More graphic pictures in colour. Same warning as above http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publication...563482_eng.pdf
pages 9 - 11.
Hix
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"I'm not young enough to know everything".............Oscar Wilde
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02-May-08, 11:29 PM
| | | | They don't use compression for rattle snakes as it is a haemotoxin, and they clean it, they don't do swabs for venom at the hospitals.
Sorry you lose the bet mate. |
03-May-08, 05:22 PM
|  | Subscriber | Join Date: Apr-08 Location: Cairns Age/Gender: 24 | | | | WOW a snake bite that affects your willy.... thank god there not in Australia!!
very detailed pics though helps you understand how deadly they can be... but don't know much about rattlers sorry.... |
03-May-08, 05:31 PM
|  | Regular Member | Join Date: Mar-06 Location: Darwin NT Age/Gender: 23 | | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Oldbeard They don't use compression for rattle snakes as it is a haemotoxin, and they clean it, they don't do swabs for venom at the hospitals.
Sorry you lose the bet mate. | You don't really lose my friend... you're both wrong... and right.
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