LifeStyle First Aid

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Venomous Snakes bite

About 250 different snake species deliver bites that can kill a human. Approximately 7,000 persons are bitten by snakes each year in the United States alone, but less than 15 of them die from the bite. In less developed parts of the world where the general health of the popular can be lower and professional healthcare hard to find, the date rates can be significantly higher. The type of snakes living in your area will of course also affect your risk of receiving a dangerous snake bite.

The reaction to a bite from a venomous snake will vary due to a number of factors, including the snake species, the individual snake, the victim’s sensitivity to the particular venom, the victim’s general health condition, the size of the victim, how much venom that was injected, how deep the venom was injected, in which part of the body the venom was injected and how fast the venom is absorbed into the circulatory system.

It is always recommended to learn more about the venomous snake species in your area, as well as in any areas where you plan to travel, since different snake species produce different types of venom. The guidelines provided below are only general. If you know which venomous snakes that you may encounter, you can learn more about how to treat each specific type of venom and thereby be able to provide more efficient first aid. A certain treatment that is strongly recommended in the United States, where rattlesnakes are common, may for instance increase the risk of fatalities if you use it on a victim that has been bitten by a Tiger snake in Australia.
As you study the venomous snakes in your part of the world, you may very well find out that the venomous snakes in your area deliver unpleasant bites, but that they are not significantly more dangerous than wasps and bees. This will make it easier for you to keep a victim, or yourself, calm in a stressful situation. You will also be less inclined to retort to drastic and unnecessary treatments.

As mentioned above, snake bite guidelines are only general and may not be recommended in all situations. Pressure immobilization may for instance be highly useful if the victim has been injected with neurotoxic venoms (e.g. from an elapid snake), but is not recommended for cytotoxic bites (e.g. from a viper). The different first aid techniques can also force you to make complicated trade offs. Certain snake venoms will for instance cause severe tissue damage. If you prevent the venom from spreading you will reduce the total area affected, but you will also make the damage more severe in the bitten area since you prevent the body from diluting the venom.

General first aid recommendations
* Prevent further bites from the snake, e.g. by carefully carrying the victim away and telling other people to stay out of the spot where the snake is.

* Trying to get a good look at the snake is a good idea since this will make identification easier at the hospital, but if you are alone with the victim you should focus on him on her instead, not on snake spotting. Do not try to capture or kill the snake, since you may receive bites yourself in the process.

* Keep the victim as calm as possible and do not allow him or her to walk around or move the bitten limb.


* Arrange for transportation to the nearest hospital. If possible, call the hospital directly and follow their instructions. Hospitals know about the venomous snakes in their local area and how to deliver the best form of first aid.

* The bitten body part should usually be placed below the heart of the victim. This will decrease the amount of blood returning to the heart and other organs of the body. (There are however exceptions to this rule.)

* Remove items and garments that may constrict swelling body parts, e.g. tight pants, bracelets, watches, shoes etcetera.

* Never leave the victim alone. Watch out for signs of worsening illness and be prepared to deliver mouth-to-mouth and hearth massage.