Eastern brown full envenomation bite

[peterjohnson64]

It wouldn't be a hit to an artery as snake venom travels through the limphatic system, not the circulatory system. That's why we use a compression bandage and not a torneque. Some initial ractions can be caused by shock. You realise you have just been tagged by something that can kill you and your blood pressure plummets so you feint. (Its happened to me with something that COULDN'T kill me but I didnt realiuse that at the time). Although I am not saying that is what happened in this case as I wasn't there so I can't comment at all.

Very intersting post from Paul as well regarding the research into a bandage. The best one we have found is one designed for sprained ankles. It has rectangles on it that become squares when you are applying the right amount of pressure. We contacted the manufacturers and were told that the bandage is not adequate for snake bite and should not be used as the pressure is not enough. Our only issue was that it was the one that applied the MOST pressure from aLL the banadages we could find. I still carry it but I guess I can't sue the bandage manufacturer.

I am lucky (and I guess its ironic condsidering whose thread this is) that my only real bite is from a red belly. It was at a call out to a university so there were plenty of people around. The only problem was that they were more stressed than so and I had to apply the bandage myself!! There was also no need to capture the snake (although I did after it bit me) because they have venom detection kits at the hospital anyway.

Thanks for your story RBB. I wish your hubby the best in his recovery. It is unusual to see a person bitten by a snake "accidentally" if you know what I mean. Most people are intentionally interacting with a snake when they are bitten.

 

[slim6y]

It wouldn't be a hit to an artery as snake venom travels through the limphatic system, not the circulatory system. That's why we use a compression bandage and not a torneque. Some initial ractions can be caused by shock. You realise you have just been tagged by something that can kill you and your blood pressure plummets so you feint. (Its happened to me with something that COULDN'T kill me but I didnt realiuse that at the time). Although I am not saying that is what happened in this case as I wasn't there so I can't comment at all.

Very intersting post from Paul as well regarding the research into a bandage. The best one we have found is one designed for sprained ankles. It has rectangles on it that become squares when you are applying the right amount of pressure. We contacted the manufacturers and were told that the bandage is not adequate for snake bite and should not be used as the pressure is not enough. Our only issue was that it was the one that applied the MOST pressure from aLL the banadages we could find. I still carry it but I guess I can't sue the bandage manufacturer.

I am lucky (and I guess its ironic condsidering whose thread this is) that my only real bite is from a red belly. It was at a call out to a university so there were plenty of people around. The only problem was that they were more stressed than so and I had to apply the bandage myself!! There was also no need to capture the snake (although I did after it bit me) because they have venom detection kits at the hospital anyway.

Thanks for your story RBB. I wish your hubby the best in his recovery. It is unusual to see a person bitten by a snake "accidentally" if you know what I mean. Most people are intentionally interacting with a snake when they are bitten.

I can get you in contact with her if you like Peter - shes at JCU up here... Very interesting indeed.

 

[redbellybite]

Just to clear up a few ????? for some ,Matt isnt a catcher nor was he there to catch ,snake just happened to be in a very rare spot and a BAD LUCK situation happened .(THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO TAKE CARE AT ALL TIMES IN ALL SITUATIONS ESPECIALLY IN SNAKE SEASON AND NOT PRESUME A SNAKE CANT BE THERE especially you tradies and the likes of people that do home and garden work now)
Now the reason he got nailed so quickly was due to where he got bit ,He was bitten on what the doctors said was his pulse line in the thumb ,it was a big amount of venom as it was a highly stressed snake and they seem to think this was why he had such a short time before collapsing,He didnt know what had bitten him and it wasnt untill he felt a cold sensation rise up from his toes to his head and his heart pump hard that he realised he was in trouble ,firstly after the intial 'WACK' feeling he tried to convince himself he was just being a bit paranoid so feinting was not the thing that happened here ...he tried to walk back a few metres to where his truck was parked ,so we are talking maybe 10 -15 m up a slight incline of a driveway ,his eyes were glassy and he was trembling by that short time and the Lady could see this and said to him "awwww Matt you look terrible..."he replied "I feel bad"...and that was it down for the count ...and the rest is what happend in the first post.

 

[Elite_Reptiles]

Thanks for letting us know redbellybite, so i wasn't to far off the mark (meaning an almost direct hit to the vein).

Poor bugger, when you explained the symptons I could almost feel and picture what he felt and looked like. It reminds when you go under anesthetic for major surgery...when they first put that needle in, you can feel a chilling cold almost painful sensation run up your arm till it reaches your shoulder and than it's good night

 

[syeph8]

bloody hell, scary stuff, for a snake to be THAT pissed off and to be that unlucky on where to get bitten really is bewildering. best of luck to the both of you during his recovery.

 

[Elite_Reptiles]

Huh ha, a lot more than you know dpeica

 

[dpeica]

oh

 

[-Peter]

Brown snake venom does not need to go straight to the vein for a person to feel the effects sooner than 15 minutes. There are many factors inviolved and different people react in different ways.
Often bite victims will go into cardiac arrest in the first few minutes.

 

[Wild~Touch]

This is a deadly serious topic and the more educated we all become perhaps we can save a life
I can say you really don't know what it's like until you've experienced a bite to someone precious and near to you.
Learn all you can and apply it, don't rely on the ambos and medical teams, use your knowledge for FIRST AID, before they arrive, sometimes they can take hours and you could be seriously ill.
An excellent website is: Australian Venom Research Unit which contains very valuable information and easy to understand.
Keep safe everyone and learn all you can
Cheers
Sandee

ps....don't leave your compression bandage on your shopping list...and if a bite is suspected....DON'T PANIC that is no.1

 

[dpeica]

.

 

[cris]

Yes what Peter said. Thats what I was getting at..
Also keep in mind a bandage won't do **** all in some circumstances apart from giving you a false sense of security. It's still good practice though.

It could be BS, but i heard or read somewhere that a brown snake can(or has) killed in under 15 minutes regardless of first aid(a brain clot or something maybe?), is that true? As you suggest this doesnt mean you should ignore first aid, more so not get bitten, ever. Does anyone with a proper envenomation recover fully?

 

[redbellybite]

Cris it could be bloody right on the mark there, had Matt fallen hard on his head ,instead of, slide along the road ..the lady that was there actually prevented him from falling by using her body to allow him to slide...His head injury may have been fatal due to the non clotting abillity,and having a brain bleed ..this was another major concern with the doctors who were treating him .

 

[waruikazi]

It could be BS, but i heard or read somewhere that a brown snake can(or has) killed in under 15 minutes regardless of first aid(a brain clot or something maybe?), is that true? As you suggest this doesnt mean you should ignore first aid, more so not get bitten, ever. Does anyone with a proper envenomation recover fully?

I can't cite a reference but i remember a story of a bloke who was bitten on the hand or wrist and died of heart attack in under 20 mins.

 

[Kristy_07]

I can't cite a reference but i remember a story of a bloke who was bitten on the hand or wrist and died of heart attack in under 20 mins.

My partner, who's a cardiac scientist, has heard similar stories. Been called into hospital for emergency snake bite, gotten to work, told to go home again, because the patient was DOA. It just depends on how the individual person is affected.

 

[bigi]

wow, how unlucky and lucky can your hubby be RBB. Truely an incredible story and one i thank you for sharing. It should make everyone realise that looking for wild herps is not a game. i used to look for snakes as a young teenager, how ignorant was i.
I wish you both all the best in getting hubby back to full health. Life throws obsticles our way at times and he is showing the strength to overcome this. All the best.

 

[-Peter]

There was a member on this site who died within minutes of being bitten.

 

[junglepython2]

QLD woman dies...... Queensland woman dies after brown snake bite

 

[garthy]

The Brown was in a roof?

Yeah, I got called out for a snake in the rafters of a hay shed, I thought "you beauty I get to see a wild diamond!!"....
....It was a brown, how it climbed up there I don't know but it was an interesting catch.

 

[garthy]

I totally agree and also believe that every snake catcher should also carry a laminated card which has the correct treatment, in medical terms, for snake bite envenomation, which is given to the staff at the hospital. This will help ensure that mistakes are not made by the medical profession especially in more rural/remote areas.

I keep mine in the same container as i keep my compression bandages so it is always on hand when needed.

Good point about hte card, I will go into production mode imediately