Survival Skills: Understanding The Myths and Realities of Snakebite

Your long hike in a remote area seemed like a great way to enjoy the warm weather. The day was beautiful and you were having a great time - until a searing pain hit your ankle. Instinctively, you jumped back in surprise. Near your last tracks, you saw a coiled snake with brown and tan markings. You backed away as the burning began to spread through your lower leg. With your pulse quickening and fear rising, you realized that you’d just been bitten by a venomous snake!

THE MYTH:

Outdated survival manuals and old western movies often illustrate the “cut and suck” practice of snakebite treatment. This medieval medical method involves cutting the flesh at the site of the bite, then sucking on the wound with your mouth or an extraction device. In the stressful aftermath of a real snakebite, we might decide to fall back on the pop culture practice. But as you’ll clearly see, this slice and dice field procedure is likely to cause more harm than help. Here’s why.

THE REALITY:

Most of us have an instinctive fear of snakes, but contrary to their sinister appearance, these misunderstood creatures aren’t always out to get us. Depending on the year, roughly 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the continental U.S. Florida and Texas are hot spots, with one in four attacks occurring in these two states. That’s a lot of folks each year, who probably have “cut and suck” on their mind. But let’s clear up the myth.

Issue One: Are You A Surgeon? Unless you know exactly where every artery and nerve are located in the area of the snakebite, your haphazard hacking could sever all kinds of important tissues, like a nerve – or worse – a blood vessel. Now you have a bleed and a venomous bite, a very dangerous duo. And even if you knew everything about human anatomy, and the spots you don’t want to slice open, there’s really no point to this madness.

Issue Two: No Reward To This Risk. So many experts agree, that almost no venom is removed by extraction and that extraction kits are essentially useless. One study suggested that less than one-thousandth of one percent of venom is removed by extraction. Furthermore, the venom may be introduced directly into the bloodstream if you accidentally slice a blood vessel adjacent to a pocket of venom.

Issue Three: You May Be Cutting For Nothing. Medical doctors and herpetologists have estimated that roughly one quarter to one third of the bites from venomous adult snakes are a “warning bite”, more commonly called a dry bite. This is an attack intended to repel a perceived threat, with little or no venom expended. Since adult snakes can control the amount of venom they inject, they don’t want to waste it on something that’s too big to eat (like a human). You’ll usually know in less than one hour, if the needle-like stab is the only sensation you feel, or if more signs and symptoms occur.

THE ALTERNATIVES:

Treat The Bite
Take the following steps, if you or someone in your group is bitten by a venomous snake.

First - Seek medical attention as soon as possible, if it’s available (dial 911 or local EMS)

Second – Wash the bite with soap and water, or a disinfecting solution like iodine and water. Cover pit viper bites with a clean, dry dressing. For the bite of a coral snake, use an Ace bandage or an improvised wrap (like a strip of stretchy fabric) to create a compression dressing, starting above to bite and then covering it.

Third - If EMS can reach you quickly, keep still and calm. This keeps your heart rate down and can slow down the spread of venom. If you have to go to them, walk as slowly as you can. And if you’re a two week walk from civilization or you’re in the dreaded grid-down situation, lay down with the bite below the level of the heart and pray to God that it was a dry bite. If it wasn’t, you may be able to survive pit viper venom. Unfortunately, the paralytic effect of coral snake venom means that your chances are not good at all in austere conditions.

Know The Symptoms
Envenomation is unpredictable and the signs and symptoms of envenomation can vary, depending on the type of snake, the amount of venom and your body’s reaction to it. Reactions can begin in minutes, or be delayed for hours, and any venomous snake bite can cause dangerous neurotoxic complications and problems with blood clotting. The most common bites in the U.S. are from pit vipers (rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths). Expect some or all of these signs in a victim.

From a pit viper, a pair of puncture marks in the skin, or very rarely, one mark (when a fang is deflected by a sandal strap, boot leather or some other obstruction).

Redness, swelling and severe pain around the bite

Increased salivation, sweating and a “coppery” or metallic taste in the victim’s mouth

Nausea and vomiting

Numbness

Difficulty breathing

Don’t Do It!
When it comes to the do’s and don’ts of snakebites, the “don’ts” are very important. If you’re unlucky enough to get bitten, remember to avoid the following actions.

• Do not try to catch or kill the snake. Just snap a picture, if you have the presence of mind to do so (from a safe distance). Or try to remember the color and pattern of the snake. The surest way to delay your care is to bring a snake into the ER, live or dead. Yes, people have brought live venomous snakes into the ER. Don’t do it.

• Never apply a tourniquet. Even with neurotoxic venom, don’t cut off the blood flow. Tourniquets hold the venom in one area, causing greater tissue damage after the fact.

• Skip the caffeine and alcohol. Both of these have a negative effect on the body (in general) but they can alter blood flow worsening the effects of the venom.

• Don’t apply ice to the bite, it doesn’t help.

Snake Bite Stats
Of the 50,000 snakebite deaths that occur worldwide each year, the U.S. averages less than half of a dozen deaths.

From the thousands of annual U.S. snakebites, one third of these occur when people are handling, taunting or otherwise molesting the animals. Many of these bites occur on the hand or forearm.

When people are not harassing venomous snakes, 85% of bites occur below the knee.

At least one venomous snake species is found in every state, except for Alaska and Hawaii.

Most of the species and subspecies of venomous snakes in the United States are rattlesnakes.

Written by Tim MacWelch First draft published in OFFGRID magazine