[at-l] Re: Snake 101

[thornel at attglobal.net (W F Thorneloe)]

Well, I was fudging a bit. If it is on your leg or foot, immobilize and lie 
down, raise it slightly to take pressure off it. If it is on your hand or 
arm, immobilize it by splinting or pinning it to your shirt, much like with 
a broken arm or shoulder separation. The point is to reduce venous return 
of venom, which will occur if the snake envenomated you anyway. Walking 
will pump blood thru the bite on your leg. Swinging your arm will pump 
blood thru the wound.

There are few things I can imagine getting your pulse up like a fang 
sticking in your hand. A Bad Thing has happened and you are going to have 
to improvise, particularly if you are a solo hiker.

OrangeBug

At 11:57 AM 7/31/03 -0400, Mark Hudson wrote:
>It's been a VERY long time since my last first aid training... but as I
>last understood it you should lower the bitten area. Did that change?
>
>You should also try to keep calm (as in any emergency situation), even more
>so with a snake bite, as jumping around and raising your pulse rate will
>just spread the venom faster.