How to Treat Snake Bites in the Wilderness

Wilderness treatment of snake bites involves immobilization of the extremity, treatment of the wound and evacuation.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Evacuation Plan
• Wilderness First Aid Classes
• Antibacterial Soaps
• Elastic Bandage Tapes
• Elastic Bandages
• Evacuation Insurance
• Sawyer Extractor
• Inflatable Splints
• Elastic bandages

1. Move away from the snake and ensure safety of the scene to prevent additional bites.

2. Calm the patient down and keep him or her still and quiet.

3. Elevate the bite at or below the level of the heart.

4. Remove any jewelry or other articles which may constrict with swelling.

5. Suction immediately with a Sawyer Extractor, ideally within three minutes after the patient has been bit.

6. Clean the wound thoroughly with an antiseptic soap or solution (See "How to Clean a Wound").

7. Dress the wound with a snug dressing using an elastic bandage (See "How to Dress a Wound").

8. Splint the extremity (See related eHows on splinting).

9. Keep the patient well-hydrated.

10. Evacuate immediately, preferably without any effort on the part of the patient. An ideal evacuation would involve sending others to arrange for a helicopter evacuation.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not do any of the following: ice the wound, apply a tourniquet, make an incision before suction, apply electric shock.
• Do not administer any drugs or alcohol.
• Evacuate immediately, even if you suspect a venomous snake did not inject venom when it bit.
• This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.

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on 11/22/2005 The Sawyer Extractor kit, is no longer viewed by experts (such as Dr. Sean Bush, the nation's leading expert on snakebite) as a useful therapy for snakebite treatment.

Proper protocol is to immobilize the bite, keep it at roughly the same level as the heart, and to transport to the hospital without delay. In the words of Dr. Bush - "Time is Tissue. The longer it takes to get proper medical treatment, the more tissue is damaged and destroyed."

on 11/22/2005 if able without risk of injury, try to i.d. the snake. although we use snake venom kits to identify the type of bite it helps to let the treating hospital know beforehand so they can ensure they have the right antivenom. (the rarer the snake , the less places will hold the antivenom so id can save time)