Venomous Snake Bite

Venomous Snake Bite – General Information

Almost each year there are 5000-6000 people who are bitten by venomous snakes, but there are also people who are bitten from “harmless” snakes which can get serious infections, complications and even allergic reactions in some cases. The people who are at a risk of developing a Venomous Snake Bite are those who travel in the wilderness areas, hike, picnic, camp or live in an area in which there also live the snakes. The snakes are successful animals on land, in the sea and forests, in lakes and deserts and usually when they encounter a human they are more scared by the human, than the humans are of them. There are also a few snakes which make an exception and attack the humans without being provoked, such as the King Cobras and the Black Mambas. There are only 400 species out of 3000 which inject venom. The snakes which can cause a Venomous Snake Bite are the rattlesnakes, copperhead, cottonmouth water moccasin and the coral snakes. The species which have Venomous Snake Bite inject their venom by using modified salivary glands. During the envenomation (which is the bite that injects the poison), the venom passes from the gland that produces it into the snake’s fangs and then into the prey. The venom can be divided in four categories, as it follows: cytotoxins which lead to local tissue damage, neurotoxins which lead to complications in the nervous system, cadtiotoxines which attack the heart and hemotoxines which lead to severe internal bleeding.

Venomous Snake Bite – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Venomous Snake Bite can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Venomous Snake Bite or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who have been bitten by a venomous snake may experience, although each person experiences them differently. These bits from the venomous snakes can lead to various symptoms, from simple scratches to life-threatening diseases and even death. The local symptoms include pain, tenderness and the local area may be swollen and can bleed. Some species of snakes can lead to internal bleeding of the organs such as the bowels and the brain and the person who has been bitten by such a snake may begin to bleed in the place where she has been bitten or from older wounds. The snake bites which affect the nervous system can lead to vision problems, speaking problems, difficulty in breathing and numbness. The persons who present Venomous Snake Bite can also experience muscle death in various places of the body and also kidney failure. Some of the snakes such as the spitting cobras can eject the poison into the victim’s eyes which leads the eye pain and eye damage.

Venomous Snake Bite – Treatment

The diagnosis of a Venomous Snake Bite is based in most of the cases on the history of the event. It would be useful for the doctors if the patient can describe the snake, because there are many species of snakes which are not poisonous and also because there are special treatments for almost every type of snake bites. The doctors will also make a physical examination in order to see if there are fang marks and local traumas such as swelling in the bite area. The wounds must be examined and disinfected, and the doctors can usually treat the shock, breathing problems and the life-threatening complications before the final diagnosis. The doctor will also take blood and urine samples from the patient and send them to the laboratory for further investigations. The people from the laboratory usually look for muscle death, kidney failure, problems with the blood clothing and evidence of internal bleeding. These problems are not apparent in the first place but can lead to serious complications.

In most of the cases the persons who have suffered a Venomous Snake Bite are monitored in order for the symptoms not to aggravate and to lead to breathing difficulties or cardiovascular problems.
The patients are recommended to wash the Venomous Snake Bite with plenty of water and soap, to immobilize the bitten are and to try to keep it lower than the position of the heart and also to cover the affected area with a moist dressing in order to reduce the discomfort and the possible swelling of the area. The patients are recommended not to apply ice on the place of the bite because this can lead to frost bite, not to use electric shocks because these can lead to burns and are also not effective, not to suck the bite because this increases the risk of the infection, not to use alcohol to disinfect the Venomous Snake Bite because although the alcohol may calm the pain it also makes the blood vessels bigger which favors the venom absorption.

In order to avoid the Venomous Snake Bites the patients are recommended to leave the snakes alone, as many people get bitten because they try to get close to them or try to kill them, the patients should also avoid walking through tall grass unless they heave leather boots, to be careful when they climb rocks and also to be careful when they are picking up different things from the ground. The doctors can also recommend to the patients who have a snake bite an antivenin (which is also called antivenom) such as Antivenin Polyvalent Equine or CroFab (which was approved in 2000 by the FDA and although it can be of great help in the patients with this medical condition it is very expensive and not everyone can afford it), but the bad part is that these can lead to a series of side effects and allergic reactions because of the content of the equine.