what is your opinion on snake bit kits like this?

[vmax]

anyone here with medical training have an opinion on these?
Our ranch is 30 miles from a hospital and I want to have some form of first aid in case of a snake bite.

There isn't a completely agreed upon first aid treatment method. So many opinions and so many reports that say, suction or no suction.

I remember reading about using a stun gun one time on the bite area. I don't know how that idea ever took off.

 

[mitchntx]

Best first aid treatment I've read about was knowing the Long and Lat coordinates of the ranch to give the Careflight pilot.

 

[99taws6]

Growing up around snakes (dad raised them for years) I was always taught the kits work, but it if you have them handy right then and there. Once the venom starts to pump through your body it has left the site where a pump will work. It might remove some extra venom but the damage is already done. As said above getting to ER and known the snakes identity is often your best bet.

 

[MaddogOIF]

From what I've understood, suction has been frowned upon from an expert perspective, because in order to get the results you want you actually have to to cute across the wound. Depending on the victim, the sight of blood, or the pain, can cause the heart rate to to quicken, and therefore the venom to spread. However I'm not sure if that applies to an extraction device.

And stun gun makes no sense to me. The only result I imagine is that it would cauterize the wound before allowing venom to escape.

 

[Bozz10mm]

Yes, there seems to be some controversy about the effectiveness of the suction method. And a stun gun may do more harm to the victim than good. You should at least have some kind of material to use as a tourniquet. Rubber tubing perhaps. Getting to a hospital emergency room within 4 hours is important in any case.

 

[vmax]

Best first aid treatment I've read about was knowing the Long and Lat coordinates of the ranch to give the Careflight pilot.

the county has my 911 location to the front gate.

 

[oldag]

Getting to the hospital quickly is paramount. The suction devices do not draw out enough venom (if any) to help. The fangs are inside the body when they inject the venom. Suction at best would only pull out something very near the surface. Rather than spend time trying to mess with the kit, beat feet for the hospital.

 

[Bozz10mm]

Here is what the Mayo clinic recommends as first aid for snake bites.

If possible, take these steps while waiting for medical help:

• Remain calm and move beyond the snake's striking distance.
• Remove jewelry and tight clothing before you start to swell.
• Position yourself, if possible, so that the bite is at or below the level of your heart.
• Clean the wound, but don't flush it with water. Cover it with a clean, dry dressing.

[h=3]Caution[/h]

• Don't use a tourniquet or apply ice.
• Don't cut the wound or attempt to remove the venom.
• Don't drink caffeine or alcohol, which could speed the rate at which your body absorbs venom.
• Don't try to capture the snake. Try to remember its color and shape so that you can describe it, which will help in your treatment.

 

[vmax]

I found this story that I remembered from a couple of years back. A turkey hunter in Alabama got bit and used this kit.
The doctor in his case said it saved his life and he virtually had little damage from the bite.

How a $10 Purchase Saved a Man?s Life After He Was Bitten by a Rattlesnake | Video | TheBlaze.com

why would the doctors give the credit to the snake bite kit?

for $10, I think I'm going to have one around. If I can use it while waiting for the VFD, or chopper, or while on the way to the ER myself, I think I will give it a try.
I don't see a downside to at least trying it as long as it doesn't delay medical treatment

 

[MaddogOIF]

I found this story that I remembered from a couple of years back. A turkey hunter in Alabama got bit and used this kit.
The doctor in his case said it saved his life and he virtually had little damage from the bite.

How a $10 Purchase Saved a Man?s Life After He Was Bitten by a Rattlesnake | Video | TheBlaze.com

why would the doctors give the credit to the snake bite kit?

for $10, I think I'm going to have one around. If I can use it while waiting for the VFD, or chopper, or while on the way to the ER myself, I think I will give it a try.
I don't see a downside to at least trying it as long as it doesn't delay medical treatment

Honestly if you don't have to do anything other than pull the plunger I dont see how it can hurt.

 

[Couyon]

So, a few years ago, we took a wildlife safety class in preparation for a visit to the wilds of Australia. The herpetologist told us to use a technique called "pressure immobilization". Since they have some bad ass snakes there I figured he knew what he was talking about... Thankfully, we didn't have to find out.

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/poisonsinformationcentre/bites_stings/bs_pressure

 

[A.Texas.Yankee]

So, a few years ago, we took a wildlife safety class in preparation for a visit to the wilds of Australia. The herpetologist told us to use a technique called "pressure immobilization". Since they have some bad ass snakes there I figured he knew what he was talking about... Thankfully, we didn't have to find out.

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/poisonsinformationcentre/bites_stings/bs_pressure.asp

FIFY

 

[BIGPAPIGREG]

Here is what the Mayo clinic recommends as first aid for snake bites.

If possible, take these steps while waiting for medical help:

• Remain calm and move beyond the snake's striking distance.

crap!!!!!! that's where I went wrong

 

[MetalCutter]

A family friend who is a ER doctor says the best first aid for a snake bite is a set of car keys. In other words get your unlucky butt to the hospital as quickly as possible. Need to seek his advice if you're located in a remote location without easy access to medical care.

 

[Vaquero]

Don't go to rolling plains memorial hospital (Sweetwater) without the snake that did the biting. They won't administer antivenom without positive proof of the snake species.

Not blaming them. Coral snake venom and rattlesnake venom work very differently.
Wrong antivenom is a sure death sentence.

 

[Mexican_Hippie]

Smart phone pic...

 

[stdreb27]

I was always told you have 3 hours to make it to a hospital after a rattler bite before your screwed. So I never worried about it.

 

[Sam Colt]

I have a plan

 

[Vaquero]

Smart phone pic...

Yep. These days, that'll work. In days past, I had friends suffer because the ID wasn't available.
They lived. But it took years for a full recovery.

BTW, the blade and suction kit was all we had in the house growing up. Thank fully, we never had to use it.

 

[jrbfishn]

Most snake fangs, in North America anyways, will go 7n from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches. Cuts that deep can be nearly as bad and you are unlikely to get much if any venom.
Most doctors don't, especially those with snake bite experience, recommend against it.