Venomous Snake Bite Death at my house

[Snowy79]

On 11/16/2022 at 3:50 PM, Clermont said:

Condolences, I’m all ways careful but sometimes it’s not enough. Just a thought, someone with MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE could they put the right procedure on handling snake bite as a post .Australia has some of the deadliest snakes and the procedure is simply in itself. 

Hopefully this wll help:

SNAKEBITE FIRST-AID version 20 07 2020 RL

Disclaimer: This information is meant to be accurate and up to date, according to current snakebite management guidelines. However, no responsibility can be taken for any accident or injury arising from the use of these guidelines. RL.

BEFORE ANY SNAKEBITE HAPPENS: ASK YOUR NEAREST HOSPITAL OR CLINIC WHETHER THEY CAN TREAT SNAKEBITE OR NOT. SOME WILL SAY “NO”! KNOWING WHERE TO GO IN AN EMERGENCY SAVES VALUABLE TIME! KEEP THE EMERGENCY NUMBER HANDY AND VISIBLE TO ALL!

After ANY snakebite here:

1. Stay as calm and still as possible.

2. DO NOT CUT OR SUCK THE BITE SITE, AND DO NOT APPLY A TOURNIQUET.

3. Make a note of the time of the bite and draw a line on the skin around any swelling, and write the time right on the skin.

4. Remove rings, bangles, bracelets etc, in case the bitten area swells.

5. Immobilize the bitten limb with a splint and keep it as still as possible.

6. Do not give any food or water – it might cause vomiting.

7. Do not use cold- or hot packs on the bite site.

8. Do not give any medicines or apply any creams, salves, 'traditional cures’ or oils to the bite site. Addition of anything medical or herbal may mask symptoms and/or potentially complicate treatment.

9. Have the patient carried to a vehicle and taken to hospital as quickly as possible.

10. Place an unconscious patient on their side, not on their backs, so they do not choke and die on their own vomit!!! This kills many snakebite victims, unfortunately

11. Call the hospital ICU IN ADVANCE to prepare to accept a snakebite patient. Do not wait for an ambulance to come!

12. Photos or a description of the snake are very useful for type of treatment, but do not waste time trying to catch or try to kill it. This can potentially be very dangerous and you could be bitten *again*!

13. Be prepared to stay in the hospital at least 48 hours for observation, and maybe much longer.

14. Snakebite treatment here is often very basic, but chances of survival are good if the patient is admitted to a hospital as soon as possible after the bite. Treatment can be very expensive, so it is best to have a medical insurance that covers snakebite, and always take precautions to avoid being bitten!

[Possum]

According to the Facebook snake site previously mentioned there is no pit viper anti venom available in the Philippines only neurotoxic antivenom. Additionally there is no central location that keeps a record of where neurotoxic anti venom is available [cobra]. All they say is "some" government hospitals have it So it would be wise to check with hospitals in your area if Cobras are present. With neurotoxic one doesn't have much time. With viper bites it depends, where bitten, amount of venom injected, age and health of victim etc.

[Dave Hounddriver]

I searched Google to try and find someone who had survived a Philippine Cobra bite and lived to tell the tale.  The only one I could find did everything wrong, (according to the experts).  Its very hard to find verified survivors.  This tale was told on Facebook by a Filipino:

Quote

Some don'ts are applicable, been bitten twice by a cobra. I applied torniquet, made a cut on the fangs inflicted wound and suck the blood out of it. I then applied minched garlic in the cut area, wrap it with a clean cloth with garlic in it. I survived although the bitten area became charcoal black for a week but I feel alright. The house was so far from the hospital. if I did not applied my first aid then I could have been dead already.

(Its in the comment section here https://www.facebook.com/DOHgovPH/photos/a.878427465501840/850594988285088/?type=3

 

[Viking]

4 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

I searched Google to try and find someone who had survived a Philippine Cobra bite and lived to tell the tale.  The only one I could find did everything wrong, (according to the experts).  Its very hard to find verified survivors.  This tale was told on Facebook by a Filipino:

 

I am sure there are many survivors of Philippine Cobra bites. Finding them and listen to their stories may be harder.

These snakes are very venomous but the likelihood of dying from a bite is often exaggerated. I read a study, where "only" 2 out of 30 victims died. The outcome depends on many different things. Correct treatment is obviously important, but antivenom is not always necessary to achieve a successful recovery.

Pretty often it's a "dry bite" with no venom injected or a very small amount only. 

[Clermont]

Thanks for that Snowy 79, in the Australian treatment they advise not to wash the wound as they swab it to get the exact venom, not a ( I think it was) but we are where we are.

[hk blues]

As always, we have conflicting "ideas" on immediate treatment for a snakebite - I have no idea if I should apply a tourniquet or not for example.

I'm not surprised so few survive snakebites here.

 

[GeoffH]

4 hours ago, hk blues said:

As always, we have conflicting "ideas" on immediate treatment for a snakebite - I have no idea if I should apply a tourniquet or not for example.

The advice around "not to apply a tourniquet" relates to the fact that the vast majority of people don't know how to safely use them and they often do more harm than good as a result.  Used correctly they can be and are helpful (no I'm not going to explain how to use them and why, bandages are safer and more effective).

Snake bite bandage kits (at least aussie ones these days) consist of long elestic bandages with markings on them, the Video linked below shows how I was trained (I was, amongst other things, a St. Johns Senior First Aider).  

NB you can do this without the handy dandy indictors on the bandages (they just make it east to get the tension right) by checking for a pulse in the thumb, if it's absent you've wound the stretch bandage too tight.  Standard gauze and stretch bandages as well as triangle bandages are available in some Philippines pharmacies (and should be part of a household basic first aid kit).

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2022 by GeoffH

[hk blues]

18 minutes ago, GeoffH said:

The advice around "not to apply a tourniquet" relates to the fact that the vast majority of people don't know how to safely use them and they often do more harm than good as a result.  Used correctly they can be and are helpful (no I'm not going to explain how to use them and why, bandages are safer and more effective).

 

Sure, but if you look at Snowy's post -

2. DO NOT CUT OR SUCK THE BITE SITE, AND DO NOT APPLY A TOURNIQUET.

It seems pretty emphatic and even capitalised for emphasis.

 

 

[GeoffH]

35 minutes ago, hk blues said:

Sure, but if you look at Snowy's post -

2. DO NOT CUT OR SUCK THE BITE SITE, AND DO NOT APPLY A TOURNIQUET.

It seems pretty emphatic and even capitalised for emphasis.

 

Never ever" cut or suck the wound site" (that's definite) and the "do not apply a tourniquet" is also definite however the reason isn't what most people assume.

 

It is (these days) regarded as something that should ONLY be used by suitably qualified medical professionals (and yes there are tournequet kits available) so the advice to the general public is simple... DON'T use them for snake bite.


Nurses and paramedics however regularly use tournequets for taking blood (since covid they are mostly single use disposable ones) but they don't apply them for extended periods of time hence the risks that are there when using them as first aid for snake bite are absent.  They were included in my first responders bag but I never used them.

Edited November 18, 2022 by GeoffH

[gbmmbg]

This little guy was harassing the cats this morning. Not poisonous but they get big.