[pct-l] Rattlesnake Bites / 50% DRY BITES

[Don Billings]

As I understand it from reading a paper by a snake bite specialist ER doc, the anti venom actually does nothing to stop the 
soft tissue damage caused by the venom. Full dose or partial dose... doesn't matter. The damage is done by the venom and 
the anti-venom only saves the life. Thats my understanding, anyway.

The medical doc (specialist) also stated that, as I recall, about 50% of bites are "dry bites" without venom. 

You are correct, though, that most bites are young males who have been drinking. That doesn't help the hiker, though, who walks 
through some brush and gets a bite. Not all victims are warned by that rattle. The rattles break off or are sometimes not used by the snake.

Although snake bite fatalities are minimal now due to the antivenom, the venomous bite remains a very dangerous wound.





----- Original Message ----
From: "abiegen at cox.net" <abiegen at cox.net>
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Sent: Wed, March 24, 2010 2:46:28 PM
Subject: [pct-l]  Rattlesnake Bites

One of our friends that we hike with often was bitten by a rattlesnake as he climbed up a rock formation. Although he got to the hospital he did suffer damage to muscles and nerves that lasted for a period of a year. He had to learn to walk again. He also found out that since snake bites are rare and snake venom has an expiration date and is very expensive that local hospitals do not store a full dosage. If they get a snake bite victim they figure they can fly some more in from another hospital if the victim appears to be in danger of dying. As mentioned already, their primary concern is to keep the victim alive - not to stop the damage done by the bite.

Another friend who works in an Emergency Center said that 95% of the bite victims are males between the ages of 16 to 29 with alcohol on their breath and bites on their hands. Most probably just a personal guess but you get the point. Snakes don't want to bite you. The older snakes know that they need that venom for their next meal and something as large as you doesn't fit the bill. So with them you will most often get the dry bite if you screw with them. Baby snakes are more dangerous because they don't have enough experience to know that.

I've seen dozens of rattlesnakes over the years and never once had a problem. We joke (but it is somewhat true too) the first person passing a rattler notices nothing, the second gets hissed at, the third hears the rattle, and the fourth gets bit. That's why I lead hikes....

TrailHacker
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