Clinical Toxinology Resources Home
 
 
  Contraindicated_FirstAid

Contraindicated First Aid for Snakebite

Tourniquets are no longer recommended for snakebite; they are easily misused, are effective for too short a period and have a high and proven potential for causing severe injury to the victim through ischaemic necrosis. The resulting gangrene may prove lethal, while the personal and social cost of amputated limbs is devastating. Suction applied to the bite site is inappropriate. Using mouth suction, active venom may be transferred to the oral cavity and bacteria instilled in the wound. Purposely designed suction kits, contrary to many positive claims, remove only small, often negligible quantities of venom and may disrupt local tissues, promoting venom spread and absorption. Cutting the wound, or worse still, excision, only serves to add further injury to the victim, increases venom absorption and provides an avenue for major haemorrhage if there is a coagulopathy. Application of local electric shock, as used in parts of the Americas and Africa, has never been shown in either experimental studies or clinical trials, to be other than a charleton treatment. Similarly, the use of cryotherapy is without merit and associated with tissue damage. Traditional healing, such as snake stones, have no rational basis, but it is possible certain native plant extracts may ultimately prove beneficial. However, until their safety and effectiveness have been conclusively demonstrated, they cannot be recommended.