A snakebite is an injury caused by a bite from a snake, often resulting in puncture wounds inflicted by the animal's fangs and sometimes resulting inenvenomation. Snake bites can be deadly. It's important to react quickly to bites. If emergency medical services can be reached, request help through 911(or your emergency centre).If in a remote area, getting the victim to medical care is vital.
First Aid and Emergency Treatment Guide
1- Safety first!; Get away from the snake. That's probably why it bit in the first place. Follow universal precautions and wear personal protective equipment if you have it.
2- Call 911 immediately!; Waiting until the pain may lead to permanent tissue damage. Remember that calling 911 on a cell phone is different than a regular phone.
While u await medical or professional help/on the way to the hospital/health centre the following should be done
- Do not elevate; Keep the bite below the level of the heart
- Protect the person,yourself and others from further bites; While identifying the species is desirable in certain regions, risking further bites or delaying proper medical treatment by attempting to capture or kill the snake is not recommended.It's not that important to identify the snake; medical crews in areas prone to snake bites can often identify the animal just from the wound. Pit vipers have two fangs and the bite often has two small holes (see illustration). Coral snakes have small mouths full of teeth with rows of small puncture wounds
NOTE;If the snake is dead, bringing it to the hospital is appropriate. Be careful, dead snakes can reflexively bite for up to an hour,so it now adviced that a quick picture of the snake be taken since we now live in a digital world
- Keep the person calm; Acute stress reaction increases blood flow and endangers the person. Panic is infectious and compromises judgment.
- Make sure to keep the bitten limb in a functional position and below the victim's heart level so as to minimize blood returning to the heart and other organs of the body.
- Pressure is preferably applied with an elastic bandage, but any cloth will do in an emergency. Bandaging begins two to four inches above the bite (i.e. between the bite and the heart), winding around in overlapping turns and moving up towards the heart, then back down over the bite and past it towards the hand or foot. Then the limb must be held immobile: not used, and if possible held with a splint or sling. The bandage should be about as tight as when strapping a sprained ankle. It must not cut off blood flow, or even be uncomfortable; if it is uncomfortable, the person will unconsciously flex the limb, defeating the immobilization portion of the therapy. The location of the bite should be clearly marked on the outside of the bandages. Some peripheral edema is an expected consequence of this process.
Apply pressure immobilization as quickly as possible; if you wait until symptoms become noticeable you will have missed the best time for treatment. Once a pressure bandage has been applied, it should not be removed until the person has reached a medical profession
- Do not give the person anything to eat or drink; This is especially important with consumable alcohol, a known vasodilator which will speed up the absorption of venom. Do not administer stimulants or pain medications to the victim, unless specifically directed to do so by a physician.
- Remove any items or clothing which may constrict the bitten limb if it swells (rings, bracelets, watches, footwear, etc.)
- Keep the person as still as possible.
- Do not incise(cut open) the bitten site or attempt hitting the bite site.
- Follow the basics of first aid while waiting for responders to arrive. Be especially concerned about the potential for shock
- continue to Reassure the patient. 70% of all snakebites are from non- venomous species. Only 50% of bites by venomous species actually envenomate the patient
IN THE HOSPITAL.
- Antivenom is injected into the person intravenously, and works by binding to and neutralizing venom enzymes
- other treatment will be given depending on the extend of damage that has been done by the venorm.
PREVENTION OF SNAKE BITES
. Do not attempt to kill a snake.
. If you spot a snake, leave it alone
. While hiking or in the woods, stay out of tall grass
. Do not put your hand into pits/crevices during treks
. Exercise caution while climbing rocks
. It is also important to avoid snakes that appear to be dead, as some species will actually roll over on their backs and stick out their tongue to fool potential threats. A snake's detached head can immediately act by reflex and potentially bite. The induced bite can be just as severe as that of a live snake.Dead snakes are also incapable of regulating the venom they inject, so a bite from a dead snake can often contain large amounts of venom.
