Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
&
Management Of Snake Bites
Venomous Snakes
•Elapidae: Cobras (Forest, Spitting and Egyptian), Mambas & Kraits..
•Viperidae: Vipers (Russel’s, Saw-scaled, Pit viper), Adders & Rattlesnakes.
•Atractaspididae: Burrowing asps, mole vipers.
•Hydrophidae: Sea snakes. Though part of Elapidae.
•Colubridae: Boomslang.
Pain and tenderness with a reddish wheal over the bite site.
Oedema, swelling and blisters.
Local bleeding and petechial rash (vipers).
Tingling and numbness over bite site (vipers).
Necrosis with gangrenous changes.
Tetanus and Gas Gangrene.
Systemic Manifestations
DO NOT:
•Cut and suck the wound.
•Use ice over the wound.
•Use alcohol.
•Use tourniquets or constricting bands.
Specific Therapy
•Anti Snake Venom is drug of choice.
•Derived from hyperimmunizing horses.
•Monovalent or polyvalent.
•Only used when serious or life-threatening symptoms are seen.
•Severe local symptoms also warrant use of ASV.
•No specific dosage regimes.
•50 mL: Local symptoms only.
•100 mL: Coagulation defects and mild systemic symptoms.
•150 mL: Serious systemic symptoms.
Specific Therapy
•Reconstitute the ASV with Normal Saline.
•Inject 20 mL of the total dose slowly IV over 20 minutes.
•Always use a test dose before injecting.
•Timing: Start as soon as symptoms are seen.
•Second dose 2 hours after or earlier.
•Further doses depending on response every 6 hours.
•Ideally an infusion with the ASV can be started and run slowly.
•In case of vipers inject some ASV around the site of the bite.
Specific Therapy