Snake Bite Treatment

Terry,
Thanks and have put a copy in my IPAD but will do as you say and put a copy in my van.

Rich

Ross,

I did see it used on a dog at Bloomsbury and the dog survived. This was posted and a vet came back with no it doesn't work at all and only causes great pain to the animal.

I could see where he was coming from and I believed him. As we all know snakes often don't release their venom. He suggested that is what had happened and the dog would have been fine anyway.

RA.

Wayne,
I have a son in Coffs who said he was required to do a 2 day first aid course and then a yearly refresher for his job as he is out in areas where they encounter snakes and other things frequently. So agree with you amendment.

This stuff should be taught in the schools and made more available to the public.

Unfortunately there does seem to be a bit of difference of opinion on what is the right way to apply the bandages, see the discussion re article on this site. This makes it hard for the general public like me who refer to sites like this for information. I suspect even going to a first aid course would generate differing opinions. So if any site is going to publish a very important procedure then it should be correct and verified and/or questioned if some one reads .

I am not saying the Exploreoz article is wrong just, I believe, a bit different from the reference I listed and if the way the bandage is applied is important then it would be good to have the article verified as many people, including myself, use this great site as a source of information.

Sorry off my soap box now,

Rich

Hi Rich,

Don't apologise for being on your soap box, as you have achieved exactly what you set out to do.......to raise eveyone's awareness!!

Well done.

Cheers,
Wayne & Sally.

I'd reckon a bandage applied either the right, or wrong way, would be better than the outcome in Rockape's thread, a few days ago.

A first aid cource for $230 and a refresher every 3 years, makes sure you get it right first time every time.

You can buy a bandage that has oblongs on it, when you apply it to a bite the oblong turns to a square then it is the right tention.

Snake Bite Bandage

Interesting link, Phil. Might have to get a couple of those. $19 is nothing, if it's going to save a life, especially your own.

Have done plenty of Senior First Aid courses over the years, and the annual CPR check, but to make up for any mental lapse, always have the very detailed Qld Ambulance book behind the seat too.

Bob.

Seemed to me the problem with Julian's comment earlier this year was that it was his way or the highway so-to-speak. As I pointed out at the time NT research showed that health professionals could not apply crepe bandages with the necessary pressure hence they were recommending elasticised bandages - simply because they achieved better results in practice.

While there are some minor differences in bandaging techniques and recommendations regarding bandage type (crepe V elastic) there appears to be common agreement that immobilisation by bandage is a VERY IMPORTANT first step.

This is what the RFDS says:

First aid for snake bites
> If you are able to identify the snake that bit you, then the doctor can select the correct anti-venom quickly, but if you don’t know for certain, ask the doctor to use a venom-detection kit because administering the wrong anti-venom could have disastrous consequences; do not wash venom off the skin as retained venom will assist identification
> Stay still and apply pressure; do not apply a tourniquet but rather, splint the area and apply bandages (as tight as for a sprain) to immobilise the bitten area; do not remove bandaging until you reach medical care (or it reaches you) and the anti-venom is ready to be administered
> Do not remove clothing as the movement involved could help the venom enter and travel through the bloodstream
> Do not try to force the venom out of the bitten area because this will only push the venom further into the bloodstream; do not try to suck the venom out of the wound
> Do not try to catch the snake

Also see
http://venompatrol.info/index.html