[pct-l] snake bite kits?

[mlissner at aidshike.org (Michael Lissner)]

Yeah. The Wilderness Medical Institute from NOLS no longer recommends
them. Seems they do more damage to the flesh than they do good to the
rest of the system. Especially when you consider that 25% of venomous
bites are actually dry bites with no actual venom. As to an article on
the matter, I've got the following for you directly from the WMI handbook:

_Treatment_
1. Scene Safety!
2. Remain calm and put the patient at rest. Avoid walking if possible.
3. Remove constricting clothing and jewelry from the bite site.
4. Measure and monitor swelling.
5. Do Not cut and suck or apply ice.
6. Apply suction with the Sawyer Extractor
****In the Wilderness First Responder Class they told us outright to
cross this off because it doesn't work (remove this step to be up to date!!!)*****
7. A wide elastic bandage wrapped proximal to distal is helpful with
coral snake envenomations.
8. Hydrate. Avoid painkillers and alcohol.
9. Splint the extremity, and keep it at the same level as the heart.
10. Monitor for shock or cardiac and respiratory depression.
11. Evacuate all patients bitten by a poisonous snake.

The other notes I have written down from the class say:
- Tease the surface
- let it bleed
- splint at same level as heart
- quality of pain = severity to some extent.
- monitor tissue damage.

Hope this helps.


-mike

www.aidshike.org
-510.547.4299-



jesse ashbaugh wrote:

>I seem to remember being convinced that snake bite kits are not a good idea. Does anybody know of any articles pertaining to the pros or cons of snake bite kits? What do you think about them?
>
>		
>---------------------------------
>Do you Yahoo!?
> Make Yahoo! your home page   
>_______________________________________________
>pct-l mailing list
>pct-l@mailman.backcountry.net
>unsubscribe or change options:
>http://mailman.hack.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
>  
>