STAR-TRIBUNE (Casper, Wyoming) 08 May 06 Snake bites are rare (Anthony Lane)
Movies sometimes show snake bite victims sucking at wounds and then spitting out venom. Some stores offer suction devices designed to produce the same effect by simply puling a plunger.
David Erk, a Casper physician with an interest in snake bites, said such strategies and technologies do not appear on his list of recommended actions following a bite from a poisonous snake.
"The number one thing to do is to safely transport to a medical facility where there is antivenin," Erk said.
The list basically ends there. If you must do something else, Erk said, you might try calming a snake bite victim or keeping a bitten body part at heart level. Regardless of what you do, he said, you likely have time to reach a hospital.
Snake bites are rare. While maintaining that he only has an interest in snakes, Erk said he tends to get called when someone locally is bitten by a poisonous snake. He estimated that he sees between three and five cases a year.
Snake bites can be categorized as legitimate and illegitimate. The first group, Erk said, includes bites where people step or stumble upon a snake, then receive an unpleasant surprise. Illegitimate bites are those where the person seeks out a snake and ends up getting bitten.
Most bites he sees are illegitimate, Erk said. Most victims are young men.
These final points, if unsurprising, might offer reassurance for parents whose children do not seek out snakes. For those with children who do, Erk said, a qualified teacher might help redirect interests toward safe behavior around snakes.
Nationally, Erk said, thousands of people are thought to be bitten by poisonous snakes each year. One average, fewer than 10 of them die.
Before antivenin was developed, he said, about one in five people died of poisonous snake bites.
Prairie rattlesnakes are found in many parts of Wyoming. In about one-third of bites from the sand-colored snakes, Erk said, no poison is injected. Most other bites leave plenty of time to get to a hospital safely.
Snake bites, like bee stings, can also trigger allergic reactions. Such reactions occur when a person is sensitized to venom, Erk said, generally as a result of handling poisonous snakes in the past.
Whatever the situation, Erk said, snake bite victims should resist inclinations to cut at their wounds or try other tactics. Such strategies are "not only not helpful, they can be harmful."
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