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If bitten by a venomous snake…
Stay as calm as possible, call medical services (911, etc), and get to a hospital. Try to avoid movement of the bite area and remove any tight fitting clothing or jewelry.
Do not try to catch/kill the snake for identification purposes. If you are in the US all you need to know is whether or not it was a coral snake (which is very easy to tell). All other venomous snakes in the US are pit vipers and the same antivenin is used for all pit vipers. Having an idea of the species may be useful in determining the severity of the bite so take pictures (from a distance) if you can safely/easily do so, but continuing to antagonize the snake only makes it more likely that someone else will be bitten.
Do not cut at the wound site or try to suck the venom out. The likelihood of you actually getting the venom out is very small and cutting/sucking may agitate the bite area and cause the venom to spread faster. Even if you do suck some of the venom out you are then getting venom near sensitive mucus membranes in your mouth (lips, gums, tongue, etc) which is the opposite of helpful.
Do not tie a tourniquet or restrict blood flow to the bite area. This keeps the venom constrained to one area and greatly increases the likelihood of major tissue damage and loss of a limb (which is usually the biggest risk with pit viper venom). Partially restricting blood flow may have some use in slowing the venom from reaching the heart/brain, but is totally unnecessary with most bites and will usually do more harm than good (especially if attempted by a non-professional).
Only use antivenin/antivenom as a last resort. Antivenin is made from the antibodies of horses and goats. It can cause all kinds of problems when injected into a human body, many of which may be much worse than the effects of the venom (anaphylactic shock for example). Snakebites are fairly rare in the US so some doctors may not have direct experience treating them. If they want to give you antivenin for what seems like a mild bite (especially if it is from a copperhead or cottonmouth) make sure you ask them why they want to administer it. Many (if not most) snakebite cases only require antibiotics, pain killers, and supportive care.
BONUS: Avoid snake bites by not antagonizing snakes. 80-90% of snake bites occur when someone was trying to catch/kill the snake. The remainder are accidents where someone stepped on a snake or reached into its hiding place. If you know where the snake is (so there’s no chance of you accidentally stepping on it) then you are in almost no danger as long as you leave it alone and keep your distance.
‘A suicide bomber has killed four security officers and injured five others near one of Islam’s holiest sites in the Saudi city of Medina, according to the interior ministry. The bomber struck as the officers were breaking their Ramadan fast near the Prophet’s Mosque…The mosque is the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad and Medina the second-holiest city in Islam after Mecca.’ [BBC]
I know that the focus is on the politics and vitriol behind attacking the sanctity of Medina in this way, but perhaps we should put both aside for a moment and keep the dead and injured in our prayers.
(via novr)
