This Month:

• Encounter with a Snake:How to Survive a Venomous Bite, By Dr. Dean Traiger aka Doc-Dean
• Sun and Skin Protection: By Doc-Dean
• Geocaching and Exercise: Physical and Mental Fitness, by Mike Hunter aka clearpath

There are about 4,000 to 7,000 snakebites reported yearly in North America. Most are not serious, and there are, on average, less than four fatalities per year. Many adult venomous snakes deliver "dry bites" containing no venom, since they prefer to warn larger animals away without wasting the venom they need for their next meal.

Venomous snakes in the USA all belong to one of two families of reptiles: Crotalids (pit vipers), or Elapids, which include only the coral snake. Most crotalids have venom less toxic than that of the coral snake, but they are, however, more dangerous because (a) they are more likely to bite you or your pet, (b) they inject venom much more efficiently, and (c) they are usually larger and have more venom to inject.

About 99 percent of the venomous bites in this country are from the Crotalidae family of pit vipers, which include rattlesnakes, copperheads, and cottonmouth water moccasins. These snakes get their common name from a small "pit" between the eye and nostril that allows the snake to sense prey at night.

You can walk away from a snake.
It won't chase after you, unless you are between the snake and its favorite hiding place, in which case it probably wants to go past you. Snake bites happen because the human approached or attacked the snake, not vice versa. Venomous snakes are surprisingly weak and fragile, with brittle bones and very little muscle power. They were not designed to survive picking fights with bigger animals. They will defend themselves if they have to, but they would much rather run and hide.

Toxins & Symptoms
Snake venom usually contains two types of toxin: Hemolytic toxins which attack the walls of blood vessels, and Neurotoxins which attack the nervous system.

Hemolytic poisons break down blood vessel walls, allowing serum to escape into surrounding tissue and cause clotting within the vessels. The result is severe swelling, pain, and discoloration at the site. The potency of venom will vary, with species, with time of year and geographic area, and with circumstantial variables. Pit vipers have the most efficient injection mechanism of any snake, about as good as a hypodermic syringe and needle. They are equipped with relatively long hollow fold-back fangs backed up by a system for injecting venom through those fangs. This gives them the ability to inject large volumes of venom quickly.

Fortunately this reptilian toxin-delivery-system is not perfect. Snakes do not always inject venom each time they bite, and sometimes their timing is off, or they connect with only one fang, or their venom levels are depleted

How to Assess Snakebites
Find out in advance if the wilderness area you plan to visit is likely to be populated by venomous snakes, and if so, which kind. Copy the phone # of the Poison & Drug Information Center for your State or local area and tape contact information inside your first-aid kit.

Learn to identify snakes if you are in their habitat. Rattlesnakes usually measure up to 6 feet in length and have earth-toned patterns on their backs, thick bodies, triangular heads, pits between their eyes and nostrils, and rattles on their tails. Coral snakes are small, thin, and have adjacent red and yellow stripes.

Look for the following signs and symptoms that a pit viper has injected venom into a bite: pain at the site of the bite, severe swelling and bruising at the bite, tingling, impaired vision, fever, chills, a metallic taste in the mouth, or muscle spasms. Look for the following signs and symptoms that a coral snake has injected venom into a bite: burning at the site of the bite followed by numbness or tingling, nausea, sleepiness, weakness, rapid heart rate, or rapid respiratory rate.

Evacuate even if you suspect a venomous snake did not inject venom into the bite. The best tools to use on a snake bite are a car and a telephone.

To help distinguish a coral snake from the nonpoisonous king snake, which has red and black stripes, remember this rhyme: "red and yellow, kill a fellow; red and black, venom lack."

Do’s

• Allow bite to bleed freely 30 seconds to 1 minute
• Cleanse and disinfect bite area thoroughly
• Apply hard direct pressure over bite using gauze pad
• Soak gauze pad in Betadine solution if available
• Strap gauze pad tightly in place with adhesive tape
• Overwrap dressing above and below bite area with ACE band (aka Pressure immobilization)
• Wrap ACE bandage as tightly as for a sprain
• Immobilize bitten extremity, use splint if available
• Get to nearest hospital as quickly as possible

Don'ts

• Do not Apply oral/mouth suction
• Do not Cut into/incise bite with a blade
• Do not apply hot or cold packs or electric shock of any kind
• Do not remove dressings/elastic wraps till arrival at hospital

Pressure immobilization (PI) means applying a wide, firmly wrapped Ace bandage (or several of them) to the bitten limb in the same way you would wrap a sprain. This is not a tight arterial tourniquet and should not occlude blood flow. The wrapped limb is then splinted and kept below the heart. Clinical toxicologist Dr. Julian White suggests that PI can effectively delay the onset of systemic symptoms for many hours.

The Antivenom Index, a Joint Project between the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the American Association of Poison Control Centers, recommends that PI be used if you are more than 1 to 2 hours away from help such as out in the wilderness.

!Overall Warnings/Disclaimer:
If symptoms persist or if you have specific medical conditions or concerns, it is recommend that you contact a physician. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.