Survive a Snakebite

Obviously, if you are bitten by a snake, you should seek medical attention immediately. The following should be referenced only if you cannot get yourself or the victim to medical clinic.

First of all, you should know that deaths from snakebites are rare...more than 50% of snakebite victims will have little or no poisoning and only about 25% of the victims suffer from serious systemic poisoning. Also, regardless of the animal, a bite wound can become infected from the bacteria in the animal's mouth. This local infection is responsible for a large part of the residual damage that results.

It is important to know that the victim's state of mind plays a large part in their recovery. An excited or hysterical person will have increased circulatory activity, causing their body to absorb the toxins faster than normal. Always try to keep snakebite victims as calm as possible.

Before you begin to treat a snakebite, you need to determine whether or not the snake was poisonous. If you were not able to visually identify the snake, you can tell by the bite if the snake was poisonous.

The following signs/symptoms can help determine if the snake was poisonous:

• Fang punctures at the site of the snakebite. One or two punctures (and sometimes three or four) usually indicates a poisonous snake, especially if the other symptoms below are present.
• Pain at the site of the bite.
• Swelling at the site of the bite within a few minutes or within 2 hours.
• Paralysis, weakness, twitching, and numbness. These are signs of neurotoxic venoms, and usually appear 1.5 to 2 hours after a person is bitten.

If you are bitten by a poisonous snake, follow these "Do's and Don'ts":

DO'S	DON'TS
Lie down with head slightly lower than the rest of the body.	Do not move around. Doing so makes blood circulate faster thereby speeding up the spread of the venom.
Refer to the DON'TS before you consider cutting. If making an incision, cut no deeper than the two layers of skin. ** Should be done by a medically trained person. **	Do not make any deep cuts at the bite site. Cutting will open capillaries, which creates a direct route into the blood stream for venom and infection.
Remove toxin as soon as possible by using a mechanical suction device or by squeezing.	Do not use your mouth to suck out venom. The vessels under your tongue will absorb toxins almost immediately and carry them to the heart.
Clean the site of the bite and hands extremely well.	Do not use ice on a bite.
If the bite is on an extremity, snuggly wrap the extremity halfway above the bite site, using material at least 2 inches wide.	Do not put your hands on your face as venom may be on them.
Remove watches, rings, bracelets, and any other restricting items.	Do not use a tourniquet.
Drink small amounts of fluid, preferably water.	Do not drink alcoholic fluids.
Use aspirin or Tylenol for pain	Do not use morphine or morphine derivatives.