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Treating A Snakebite
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| Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 | | CWK Producer |
“It felt like two bee stings, except a whole lot worse.”
– Elizabeth, Age 11
Elizabeth was playing in her yard with her dog when their ball rolled into the bushes. "When I reached down to pick it up," the eleven-year-old says, "something bit me and I ran into the house screaming."
Elizabeth was bitten by a poisonous snake, a copperhead. Her father says when he saw two small fang marks he knew what had happened.
But Henry Hughes wasn’t sure what to do next. "Well, my old Boy Scout Manual is outdated," Hughes says. “I’m sure it’s been updated, but I learned to cut the wound and release the blood and put a tourniquet on and use ice … I guess all that’s wrong now.”
Doctors say the old advice is wrong. For a snakebite, parents shouldn’t do any first aid themselves. They should stay calm and head straight to the hospital. Luckily, that’s just what Elizabeth’s father did.
“I did keep talking to Elizabeth on the way,” Hughes says, “to make sure she was coherent and could understand what I was saying. And I kept asking her how the pain was.”
Once at the hospital, Elizabeth was given an anti-venom medication, and her hand was elevated to help reduce the swelling. After just one night in the hospital, Elizabeth was sent home.
Doctors say she’s lucky. Some snakebites can be deadly, depending on the type of snake, how much venom gets in, and how quickly it’s treated.
What We Need To Know
Since antivenins used to treat venomous bites are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA keeps a close watch on snakebites in the US, and offers some interesting facts:
- 8,000 people each year receive venomous bites in the US.
- Between 9 and 15 people die annually from snakebites.
- There are two families of venomous snakes in the US: pit vipers (including rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouths), and Elapidae (coral snakes).
- 99% of venomous bites in the US are from pit vipers.
- Even bites from ‘harmless’ snakes can cause infection or allergic reaction in some people.
According to the American Red Cross, these steps should be taken in case of a snakebite:
- Wash the bite with soap and water.
- Immobilize the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart.
- Get medical help.
If medical help is not available within 30 minutes:
- A bandage wrapped two to four inches above the bite may help slow the venom. The bandage should not cut off the blood flow from a vein or artery. A good rule of thumb is to make the bandage loose enough so a finger can slip under it.
- A suction device may be placed over the bite to help draw venom out of the wound without making cuts. (Suction devices are often included in commercial snakebite kits.)
What NOT to do? Here’s a list from the American Academy of Family Physicians:
- No ice or any other type of cooling on the bite. It could be harmful.
- No tourniquets. This cuts the blood flow and could result in loss of the affected limb.
- No electric shock. This method is under study and has yet to be proven effective. It could be harmful.
- No incisions in the wound. Such methods have not been proven useful and may cause further injury.
Watch out for snakes, especially in the spring, early summer and fall. Most snakebites occur between April and October. Here’s how to reduce your risk of snakebite:
- Regularly trim hedges, keep your lawn mowed and remove brush from your yard and any nearby vacant lots.
- Don’t allow children to play in vacant, weed-infested lots.
- Always use tongs when moving firewood, brush or lumber.
- When moving through areas with tall grass and weeds, always poke at the ground ahead of you with a long stick or pole to scare any snakes away.
- Wear loose, long pants and tall boots when working or walking in areas where snakes are likely to be.
- Never handle snakes, even dead ones.
- Always sleep on a cot when camping in snake-infested areas.
Resources
- US Food and Drug Administration
- American Academy of Family Physicians
