What to do if bitten by a venomous snake? These first aid methods must be remembered

As the saying goes, "once bitten by a snake, one fears a rope for ten years." It seems that being bitten by a snake is a very terrifying experience, especially being bitten by a venomous snake. Therefore, for people who are active in areas where snakes appear, it is very necessary to learn how to give first aid after a venomous snake bite. Below, the editor will introduce the first aid methods for venomous snake bites!

Identify whether it is a venomous snake

After being bitten by a venomous snake, the first thing is to determine whether the snake is venomous. The most fundamental difference between a venomous snake and a non-venomous snake is that the fang marks of a venomous snake are a single row, while the fang marks of a non-venomous snake are a double row (for detailed differences, you can read the article "The Difference Between Venomous Snakes and Non-Venomous Snakes"). If the identification is unclear, first aid should be carried out as for a venomous snake bite.

Emergency treatment for venomous snake bites

1. Stay calm: The patient should stay calm and must not panic or run, so as to avoid accelerating the absorption and spread of the venom. In a quiet state, the patient should be quickly escorted to the hospital.

2. Bind the injured limb: Immediately use a tourniquet or rubber band, or a rope or strap carried with you, to tie tightly above the bitten part of the limb. The tightness of the ligation should be based on blocking lymphatic and venous return (for adults, generally keep the tourniquet pressure at about 13.3Kpa). When tying, leave a relatively long live knot for easy unfastening, and loosen it for 1 to 2 minutes every 15 to 30 minutes to avoid ischemic necrosis of the limb. After emergency treatment is completed, it can be released. Generally, do not exceed 2 hours.

3. Widen the wound and drain the venom: After tying the tourniquet, you can use your fingers to directly squeeze out the venom at the bite site. In an emergency, you can use your mouth to suck it out (the mouth should have no wounds or cavities, so that the person sucking does not get poisoned), sucking while spitting, and then rinse the mouth with clean water, salt water, or alcohol. First, suck out the venom for at least 0.5 to 1 hour. In severe cases or before the swelling subsides, make a cross-shaped incision and then suction. Afterward, the affected limb can be immersed in 2% cold salt water, and continuously squeezed with fingers from top to bottom for 20—30 minutes. If more than 24 hours have passed since the bite, generally no further drainage is done. If the swelling around the wound is obvious, at the lower end of the swollen area, every 3 to 6 cm, use a sterilized blunt thick needle to pierce straight in 2 cm. If the hand or foot is swollen, for the upper limb puncture the Baxie acupoints (between the four fingers), and for the lower limb puncture the Bafeng acupoints (between the four toes), in order to drain the venom and accelerate the reduction of swelling.

4. Use snake medicine: Snake medicine is a patent medicine made from Chinese herbal medicine. It can be taken orally and applied externally, and there are also injections. Among them, snake medicine, snake bite detoxification tablets and injections, snake medicine wine, etc., have a significant detoxifying effect on bites from many kinds of venomous snakes.

Precautions for venomous snake bites

For treating venomous snake bites, the most effective thing is antivenom serum, so no matter whether the injured person has already recovered after simple treatment, they should still go to the hospital for medical care.