Geoff R
13-01-2003, 09:46 AM
Hey Guy's and Girls,
Seeing as a lot of you are land based and are trapsing around in a snakes backyard, I wonder how many of you know what to do if you or someone else is bitten?
I was trained in the Army as a combat first aider and even had the experience of treating a mate struck by a King Cobra in Thailand.
Now, all treckers should be prepared for such an event as we used to say in the Army Prior,Preparation and Planning Prevent's Piss, Poor Performance (the seven "P's").
First prepare a snakebite kit,
2x crepe bandages about 10cm's in width
6x triangular badages, for splinting ,slings etc.
1x marking pen
Secondly
if in the advent you are unlucky enough to be bitten or you come across some one who has been bit "DON'T PANIC" ensure the snake has buggerd off and is not a danger and reassure the casualty. Get the casualty to sit down and find out where the bite is.
Most snake venom in Australia attacks the Lymphatic system, it travels from the bite site to the extremities of the limb back to the vital organs. Because of this we use a technique called the Pressure Immobilization Method or PIM for short. You bandage from the bite site out to the toes or fingers then back right up to the groin or armpits, 2 crepe bandages should be enough but if you have more you will always be coverd. Bandages should be firm but not restricting circulation, a good example to test the tightness is to do a Capillery Refill test. That is where you squeeze a toe or finger and watch the as the casualties blood refills under their skin. If you squeeze your own finger you will see the skin apear white after you let it go, only to refill back to it's normal colour quickly. Mark the bite with a circle around the general area using the pen, a doctor will cut away the bandages later to take a venom sample from the skin, so don't wash the area.
Once you have applied the bandages, try to splint the limb's so the person is unable to move. THe more a person can move the quicker the venom will flow. The triangle bandages are perfect for this, fold them so they are about 4 fingers wide as to not cut off the casualties circulation. Place them above and below where ever there is a joint (knee, ankle) and get help asap
Regards Geoff
Seeing as a lot of you are land based and are trapsing around in a snakes backyard, I wonder how many of you know what to do if you or someone else is bitten?
I was trained in the Army as a combat first aider and even had the experience of treating a mate struck by a King Cobra in Thailand.
Now, all treckers should be prepared for such an event as we used to say in the Army Prior,Preparation and Planning Prevent's Piss, Poor Performance (the seven "P's").
First prepare a snakebite kit,
2x crepe bandages about 10cm's in width
6x triangular badages, for splinting ,slings etc.
1x marking pen
Secondly
if in the advent you are unlucky enough to be bitten or you come across some one who has been bit "DON'T PANIC" ensure the snake has buggerd off and is not a danger and reassure the casualty. Get the casualty to sit down and find out where the bite is.
Most snake venom in Australia attacks the Lymphatic system, it travels from the bite site to the extremities of the limb back to the vital organs. Because of this we use a technique called the Pressure Immobilization Method or PIM for short. You bandage from the bite site out to the toes or fingers then back right up to the groin or armpits, 2 crepe bandages should be enough but if you have more you will always be coverd. Bandages should be firm but not restricting circulation, a good example to test the tightness is to do a Capillery Refill test. That is where you squeeze a toe or finger and watch the as the casualties blood refills under their skin. If you squeeze your own finger you will see the skin apear white after you let it go, only to refill back to it's normal colour quickly. Mark the bite with a circle around the general area using the pen, a doctor will cut away the bandages later to take a venom sample from the skin, so don't wash the area.
Once you have applied the bandages, try to splint the limb's so the person is unable to move. THe more a person can move the quicker the venom will flow. The triangle bandages are perfect for this, fold them so they are about 4 fingers wide as to not cut off the casualties circulation. Place them above and below where ever there is a joint (knee, ankle) and get help asap
Regards Geoff