Sydney-nsw-Australia.com - Australian Snake Bite

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Australian Snake Bite

Just the thought of an Australian Snake Bite! puts fear into the pit of most people's stomachs. One of the most frightening things that could happen to anyone is to fall victim to a poisonous Australian snake bite. Australian snakes are the most venomous snakes in the world.

First Aid for Australian Snake Bite

Australian Snake Bite - this Eastern Brown snake is quite deadly.

Lay the Australian snake bite casualty down, and keep the bitten leg or arm level with the rest of their body.

Place the victim at total rest, and try to calm both them and yourself. (Staying calm slows the heart, and therefore it will slow the spread of poison from the snake bite through the casualty's body.)

Do not use a tourniquet, ever! A tourniquet will kill the limb. Instead you should restrict the flow of snake venom by applying a pressure bandage round and around the whole limb. (For the leg, this would mean from toes to groin; for the arm from fingers to armpit.)

Improvise! You can tear clothing, a bed sheet or sleeping bag liner into strips. If the material is slightly elastic (it stretches), so much the better.

If you have a cellphone or mobile phone, call 000 (the Australian emergency number) or dial 112 on the cellphone. Calling 911 does not work in Australia. Tell the emergency operator you have an Australian snake bite emergency, and need an ambulance urgently. (And be ready to explain exactly where you are, starting with what State of Australia you are calling from).

In the Australian Outback, when there is no hospital within several hundred miles, contact the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) by telephone or HF radio (short wave or CB), if you have it.

Check regularly that the pressure bandage is not too tight. Any movement by the casualty will pump more venom through their blood vessels.

Observe the victim closely. If they lose conciousness, gently roll them on their side and keep the mouth open and tilt the head slightly back. Remove any dentures.

If the patient stops breathing, you will need to start resusitation - to keep them breathing until the ambulance gets to you and takes over.

The hospital will have antivenine, which neutralizes most snake poison. But it helps if you can identify the type of snake. Also, you wouldn't really want find out later that the snake was harmless.

Fortunately, snake bite is very rare. The people who get bitten are usually snake handlers who get careless, or untrained amateurs who try to catch or kill a snake, any snake, Australian or otherwise.

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