First aid treatment for snakebites  - use of Pressure Bandages with Immobilisation
Channel: HOT NORTH
Date: 2019-09-03

This video, produced by HOT NORTH (www.hotnorth.org.au), features Northern Territory herpetologist Chris Peberdy (https://reptilewrangler.wordpress.com/) and tropical and infectious disease physician and researcher Professor Bart Currie explaining the proper use of pressure bandages with immobilisation for the treatment of a snakebite.

There are an estimated 3,000 snakebites per year in Australia, with on average two people a year dying from snakebite in Australia.  Of the many species of snakes in Australia around 100 are venomous and of these more than 10 have venom potent enough to be potentially lethal to humans. 

Most snakebites occur in warmer seasons when snake are more active, but in northern Australia snakes are active all year round. The vast majority of snakebites occur as a defensive action by the snake when an unexpected encounter happens with a human. Most bites are on the foot or leg, but it is also not uncommon for a bite on the hand to occur when someone tries to capture a snake. Alcohol is involved in many of the bite scenarios in Australia.

The following information is from the healthdirect website https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/snake-bites.

For all snakebites, provide emergency care including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) if needed. Call triple zero (000) for an ambulance. Apply a pressure bandage with immobilisation (PBI)  and keep the person calm and as still as possible until medical help arrives.

Avoid washing the bite area because any venom left on the skin can help identify the snake.

DO NOT apply a tourniquet, cut the wound or attempt to suck the venom out.

Pressure Bandages with Immobilisation (PBI)
PBI is best practice for anyone bitten by a venomous snake, while keeping the person calm and still until medical help arrives.

Follow these steps to apply PBI: 

• Use a firm elasticised (stretchy) bandage not a flimsy crepe bandage.
• 12 or 15cm wide bandages are needed for an adult leg, not 7.5cm. 
• Two bandages are usually needed for an adult leg.
• Begin with bandaging firmly over the bite site itself to contain venom at the bite site . It should be tight and you should not be able to easily slide a finger between the bandage and the skin.
• If the bite is above the ankle or wrist then next continue bandaging down from the bite site to the ankle or hand, then continue to bandage firmly up the limb to the upper thigh or upper arm area.  In an adult leg this will usually require applying a second bandage to reach the upper thigh.
• Next place a firm splint over the bandage from the foot/hand to the groin/armpit and use another bandage or other material to secure the splint to the bandaged limb, so that immobilisation of the limb is fully achieved. A sling for an upper limb bite is sometimes recommended, but immobilisation with this methods is often inadequate and inferior to use of a full length limb splint. 
• Keep the person and especially the limb completely at rest. If possible, mark the site of the bite on the outside of the bandage with a pen. 
• Bandages without complete immobilisation of the limb have been shown to be ineffective.