THE AGE (Melbourne, Australia) 20 November 06 Kids missing out on snake bite first aid
Two out of three children bitten by snakes get the wrong first aid or none at all, a study has found.
The Western Australian research shows the number of children getting the correct on-the-spot care for bites has been up to 10 per cent less in the past decade than it was in the 1980s.
"This is a tragedy," said Dr Noel Eatough, a registrar who reviewed the medical records of children admitted to Perth's Princess Margaret Hospital between 1994 and 2004.
He found only 33 per cent of the 151 children had the best treatment, a pressure immobilisation bandage wrapped around the limb with the right pressure to limit the spread of venom.
The remaining 67 per cent had mostly had no first aid or the bandage had been wrapped too tightly, meaning it had to be released after a short time.
A comparison with an earlier study from 1984 to 1993 at the same hospital found that use of the effective bandaging style had slipped by between five and 10 per cent.
Dr Eatough said he was disappointed parents did not seem to be aware of the bandaging, developed by renowned scientist Dr Struan Sutherland in the 1970s.
"It is an Australian invention ... now used around the world," he said.
"It saves lives, so it is something all parents should be aware of."
His colleague Dr Meredith Borland said the results indicated poor knowledge nationwide of how best to treat bites.
"Clearly this is something we have to promote to the public, especially when we do have a lot of snakes," Dr Borland said.
The statistics, to be presented at the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Conference in Sydney on Monday, show that toddlers and boys aged 10 to 14 years are most commonly bitten.
Almost three quarters were bitten on the leg or foot.
Of the 53 most clearly bitten, 18 were definitely poisoned - 13 by brown snakes, three by tiger snakes, one by a black snake, and one by a sea snake.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Kids-missing-out-on-snake-bite-first-aid/2006/11/20/1163871276132.html

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