Snakebites: Home First Aid Tips
The hospital I used to work in is situated near a rice field and the place 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 child was brought in. The child was bitten by a snake just outside their home which is fronting the medical center. 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 question why the child appeared so terribly ill. Parents admitted that 3 hours had previously passed from the time he was bitten before they rushed him to the medical center, because they first brought the baby 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 baby did not survive. It was too late.
Snakebites, though rare, should not be underestimated. A victim's age does not have an effect on the seriousness of snakebites, but size will. This is the reason why infants and kids are much more susceptible to envenomation. Nevertheless, 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 in between the eyes and nostril, vertical or elliptical pupils, and movable fangs. Lastly, cobras possess the characteristic hoods, which spread when they are threatened.
It is really critical to differentiate between the bite of a pit viper with that of a cobra simply because their treatments vary (Cobra antivenom is ineffective against venom of other poisonous snakes). In viper attacks, the inflammation is marked and extensive which may involve the entire extremity, coupled with bleeding indications that can prospect to shock. In contrast, cobra bites are characterized with burning pain in the bitten region that generally radiates up the limb. Inflammation is much less intense than that of viper bites. There is dusky staining around the bite marks that extends and darkens. Victims of cobra bites usually present with quickly progressive paralysis of muscles and cessation of breathing.
Although antivenom is the ultimate treatment for poisonous snake bites that is obtainable only in hospitals, personal knowledge of how to deal with snake attacks at the time and place of incident is just as essential.
Here are some guiding rules in the initial management of snake bites.
#1. No incision could to be made on the bite site. Manipulation of the bite site can introduce an infection and hold off healing, or may harm nerves and tendons.
#2. Do not apply an arterial tourniquet. If transport to a clinic with antivenom could take more than 30 minutes, try an absorption delaying compression bandage (such as cloth/towels torn into strips or panty hose) around the limb and On the bitten region. It ought to be as tight 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 chest movements.
#4. If venom enters the eyes (from a spitting cobra), patient's head ought to be immersed in water and the affected person ought to be told to blink. In doing so,poison can be quickly diluted with no further ill effects in most cases.
#5. During transit, the bitten limb should be moved as little as possible to decrease the spread of venom. Thus, the involved limb should be immobilized using splints.
#6. If possible, bring transport to the patient instead of vice versa to reduce movement of the body which might enhance spread of the poison.
#7. Bite wounds may be insignificant. Patients, most particularly young children who say that they have been bitten, even in the absence of fang marks, ought to be believed.
Snakebites are unusual, but its rarity should to not make anyone complacent about it. For each individual who has been bitten, it is a matter of life and death. And performing the appropriate 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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