You have just been bitten by a rattlesnake! There is absolutely no question about it, you heard the rattle and felt the pain. Even though you moved away, the rattlesnake is still sitting there in its striking pose, head lifted, fangs bared and unfolded, and the deadly rattle humming. What do you do? You realize that you have just been injected with poison and know clearly that this is an emergency!
Before anything else, you must try your best to remain calm, keep a safe distance from the reptile and try to get a good description. If you have a cell phone, take a picture... no, not for memories sake but so emergency personnel can tell what type of rattlesnake it is and determine what anti-venom to use and how to treat your snakebite. The reason I mention this at the beginning of your ordeal is that first it allows to take a functional action, and secondly because the snake will most probably start to leave the area to someplace it is no longer feeling threatened. So the snake no longer feels threatened, but what about you?
Well, you must continue to function rationally, so take an honest stock of your situation and condition. Where are you? If you are in a populated area, you are most probably in a better situation than if you were out on a wilderness trail. Are you by yourself or with at least one other person? The key point here is let others know immediately that you have been bitten and that there is a rattlesnake present. Please immediately ask for help and let someone know if possible. The most likely thing that you may experience next besides panic, is that you may start to experience symptoms of shock; and panic and fear can only make a difficult situation much worse. If you or someone else can call "911," this is certainly the most valuable step to take. Do not be afraid to ask for an ambulance, then lie down and try to keep the affected area below your heart while you wait for help to arrive.
What not to do!
Don't allow anyone or yourself to try and catch the snake or to try and kill it. This will only further endanger yourself or others and instead of dealing with one snakebite you may be dealing with two or more. A picture is the safest thing to obtain, if not that try to remember the snakes characteristics; size, color pattern, especially the tail (yes, besides the rattle). More than one rattlesnake can appear to have diamonds on its dorsal body like the most common rattler in our area, the Western Diamondback. But the tail markings are distinct. Both the Diamondback and the Mojave have black and white bands near the rattle, but the Mojave has larger white bands. The Black tailed Rattle Snake has a black area. These snakes are larger, while many of the other Arizona rattlers are only 2 to 3 feet in length when full grown.
Do not attempt the old movie western first aid responses, they have been proven not to work. Don't pour whiskey or other alcohol on the wound (or cold water and ice), it will only remove some of the venom on your skin that may be swabbed by medical personnel.
Do not cut into the snakebite with a knife and try to suck the poison out. This will only place venom in your mouth, and oral mucous linings; or in someone else's.
Using snakebite suction cups have proven ineffective and cutting into the bite can actually accidentally harm a vital area or cause an inadvertent infection which will complicate your situation. Remember, the human mouth can pass on substantial bacteria.
Do not use a tourniquet because this will allow the venom to pool in one place and cause greater damage.
Try not to raise the affected area above the level of your heart, if you do this will allow venom to reach your heart much quicker.
What you should do!
Remember, you will start to swell. So loosen or remove any tight clothing, jewelry, or other restrictive apparel before you begin swelling.
Do let the wound bleed as much as possible because this may release some of the venom.
Stay as still as possible because movement will escalate your blood flow and let the venom circulate faster.
Try your best to remain calm, since anxiety and panic can increase your heart rate, which will cause the venom to spread faster.
If you begin to develop signs of shock, do lie down on your back and raise your feet slightly, and keep warm. (However, remember not to raise the affected area above your heart).
Do place a clean bandage on the wound if possible.
If you are in a wilderness area the best thing is to lie down and have your companions carry you on a stretcher closer to a main road or to where they can get a cell phone signal. If you have only one companion lean on them and use a makeshift walking stick until you get to an area where you can ask for help. If you are by yourself, then you have no other choice but to get to where you can communicate your emergency needs on your own. Stay calm, use a walking stick (makeshift if necessary), and keep the affected area below your heart.
What is Envenomation?
Simply put, the fangs on rattlesnakes (all members of the Viperidae family) are hollow and function much like a needle and syringe. The venom passes from the venom gland through a duct into the snake's fangs, and finally into its target. The venom produced by rattlesnakes consist of substances that have different effects, which can be separated into four categories (Bhargava, 2020).
Cytotoxins cause local tissue damage.
Hemotoxins cause internal bleeding.
Neurotoxins affect the nervous system.
Cardiotoxins act directly on the heart.
The Western Diamondback has primarily hemotoxins with some cytotoxins; while the Mojave Rattlesnake has both hemotoxins, some cytotoxins, and neurotoxins.
The Coral Snake which I have not mentioned to this point because of the rarity of snakebites by this reptile, belongs to the Elapidae family like cobras and mambas. Elapidae, are characterized by short fangs fixed in the front of the upper jaw.
The Outlook for a Rattlesnake Bite
Outcomes for rattlesnake bites are generally good, if you receive emergency care as soon as possible after the bite occurs. “Shallow bites have a better outlook than deeper ones, and healthy adults will recover faster than children or people with weak immune systems (Young, 2020).”
Dry bites do occur, a good number of venomous snake bites in humans do occur without venom injection, but will still cause irritation, swelling, or other related symptoms. This type of bite is called a "Dry" bite in clinical medicine (Naik, 2017 ).
References
Reviewed by Bhargava, MD, H. D. (2020). Snakebite.https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/snakebite
Young (2020), Rattlesnake Bite.https://www.healthline.com/health/first-aid/bites-stings#takeaway
Naik BS. "Dry bite" in venomous snakes: A review. Toxicon. 2017 Jul;133:63-67. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.04.015. Epub 2017 Apr 27. PMID: 28456535.
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