If I suck the venom out of a snakebite will I live

Youre hiking with a friend. The sun is shining, the birds are singing youre feeling one with nature. Then the unthinkable happens as you step over a tree log on the trail, a snake beneath it lurches out and sinks its fangs into your calf. Out of all the panicky thoughts that race through your mind, one screams the loudest something you learned in the Scouts: If you get bitten by a snake, suck out the venom. Frantically, you turn to your friend and to tell him to start sucking, but he replies, "No way, man! Then well both die."

Is he right? Or, is he just a big coward who should be crossed off your friend list?

Heres your answer: Most likely, your friend wouldnt die from ingesting snake venom. But if he has an open wound in his mouth, the venom could enter his bloodstream, which is very dangerous. On the flipside, his mouth, like any human mouth, is stocked full of germs that could cause infection in your wound. So, either way you slice it, venom-sucking isnt a winning solution.

How to Treat a Snakebite #Video

To understand how to treat and how not to treat a snakebite, you need to understand how venom affects your body. Note that we dont use the word "poison" when discussing snakebites. Poisons are toxic if you swallow or inhale them. Venoms, on the other hand, are only toxic if injected into soft tissues and the bloodstream. So, technically, if you suck the venom out of a snakebite and you dont have an open wound in your mouth, you wont be affected. But that doesnt mean you should do it! Although long considered a viable treatment, experts now strongly advise against sucking the venom out of a snakebite wound. What changed their minds?

Until the past few years, the recommended first aid for a snakebite was to tourniquet the area above the bite, cut the skin open, suck out the venom and then spit it out. The reasoning behind this was that you could remove much of the venom before it had a chance to enter the victims bloodstream. However, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002 officially refuted this method. Venom enters the bloodstream extremely quickly, and trying to suck it out is ineffective. The best way for a bite victim to prevent venom from quickly moving through the bloodstream is to remain calm, keep the wound below the heart, and avoid running or doing anything that would increase the heart rate.

Many first aid and snakebite kits contain a suction device for removing venom from a snakebite wound. These devices provide way more suction than your mouth ever could and dont require an incision (which is dangerous and could cause infection). Tip: If your snakebite kit contains instructions for making an incision on the wound, throw it away and buy a more current kit. Also note that the Annals of Emergency Medicine reported in 2004 that these commercially available extractors remove virtually no venom, just blood and other fluids.

Using a tourniquet can damage nerves and blood flow. True story: In Tennessee, a well-meaning passerby used a tourniquet to help a farmer whod been bitten by a snake. When the farmer arrived at the hospital, his blood pressure was so low from the tourniquet around his arm that he was only minutes from death . Another treatment thats fallen out of favor is icing the bite area. Doctors advise against this, as it may cause the venom to stay in one place, which creates worse tissue damage than if the venom had spread out a bit.

Now, heres what you SHOULD do if a snake strikes:

1. Keep the snakebite victim calm. Restrict movement and keep the affected area below the heart level to reduce the flow of venom.

2. If you have a pump suction device, follow the manufacturers directions.

3. Remove any rings or constricting items from the affected area in case it swells. Create a loose splint to help restrict movement of the area.

4. If the bite area begins to swell and change color, the snake was probably venomous.

5. Monitor the persons vital signs. If there are signs of shock, lay the person flat, raise the feet about a foot, and cover the person with a blanket.

6. Get medical help right away.

7. Bring the dead snake to the hospital only if its safe to do so. Dont waste time hunting for the snake, and dont risk another bite if its not easy to kill the snake. Be careful due to reflex, a snake can actually bite for up to an hour after its dead.

The best first aid for snakebite is your cell phone. Calling ahead to an area hospital as the victim is on his or her way allows the medical team to prepare antivenin. Antivenin sometimes called antivenom is the primary way hospitals treat snakebites. Its very effective because the majority of snakebite victims in the United States manage to reach a medical facility within 30 minutes to two hours of being bitten.