Snakebites: Home First Aid Tips

The hospital I used to work in is situated close to a rice field and the area has been known to have several sightings of snakes. One day, a distress call was made at the ER mere seconds after a one-year old baby was brought in. The baby was bitten by a snake just outside their home which is fronting the hospital. Once I saw him, he was already unconscious without spontaneous breathing, but I could still hear faint heart sounds. He had two snake bite marks on his right leg, with out inflammation and bleeding. I noticed the tourniquet was applied 3 inches above the bite. I started to wonder why the child appeared so terribly ill. Parents admitted which 3 hours had previously passed from the time he was bitten before they rushed him to the hospital, because they first brought the child to a traditional healer. I intubated the child, offered respiratory assistance and emergency medicines, but I had to transport him to a tertiary hospital where antivenom was obtainable. The last thing I've heard, the child did not survive. It was too late.

Snakebites, although unusual, must not be underestimated. A victim's age does not affect the severity of snakebites, but size does. This is the reason why infants and kids are more vulnerable to envenomation. However, not all snakes are poisonous. Non-poisonous snakes possess slender heads, sleek tapered bodies, no facial pits, rounded pupils, and double row of teeth. Pit vipers have arrow-head or triangular head, with facial pits separating the eyes and nostril, vertical or elliptical pupils, and movable fangs. Lastly, cobras possess the characteristic hoods, which spread once they are threatened.

It is very critical to distinguish between the bite of a pit viper with that of a cobra because their treatments vary (Cobra antivenom is ineffective against venom of other poisonous snakes). In viper attacks, the swelling is marked and extensive which may include the entire extremity, associated with bleeding indications which can lead to shock. In contrast, cobra bites are characterized with burning pain in the bitten area which generally radiates up the limb. Swelling is much less extreme than that of viper bites. There is dusky discoloration around the bite marks that extends and darkens. Victims of cobra bites typically present with quickly progressive paralysis of muscle groups and cessation of breathing.

Though antivenom is the ultimate treatment for poisonous snake bites which is obtainable only in hospitals, personal knowledge of how to manage snake bites at the time and place of incident is just as important.

Right here are some guiding rules in the first aid of snake bites.

#1. No incision could to be made on the bite site. Manipulation of the bite site can introduce infection and delay healing, or may injure nerves and tendons.

#2. Do not apply an arterial tourniquet. If transport to a clinic with antivenom will take over 30 minutes, apply an absorption delaying compression bandage (such as cloth/towels torn into strips or panty hose) near the limb and On the bitten area. It should be as restricted as one would bind a sprained ankle.

#3. If the bite is on the trunk, neck, and head, apply a firm pressure Over the bitten region. Do not restrict upper body movements.

#4. If poison enters the eyes (from a spitting cobra), patient's head ought to be immersed in water and the affected person ought to be instructed to blink. In doing so,poison can be easily diluted with no more ill effects in many cases.

#5. Throughout transit, the bitten limb should be moved as little as possible to decrease the distribution of poison. Therefore, the involved limb should be immobilized using splints.

#6. If feasible, bring transport to the patient rather than vice versa to lessen movement of the body which could enhance spread of the venom.

#7. Bite wounds may be insignificant. Sufferers, most particularly kids who claim that they have been bitten, even in the absence of fang marks, should be believed.

Snakebites are rare, but its rarity must not make anyone complacent regarding it. For each patient who has been bitten, it is a matter of life and death. And executing the proper initial treatment at home might tip the balance toward a life-saving end and hopefully spare the life of the victim.


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