If you have been watching our videos for long, you are most likely aware of how to treat a snakebite, but in this video we talk about 5 of the most common mistakes, and what NOT to do if you are bitten by a snake
Australian culture is full of snakebite myths and remedies, wether they are passed down from our elders or featured in film and television the fact is that, in the case of a serious snakebite, the vast majority of these old wives tails will not only fail to save your life, but they could actually make things worse! So here is 5 things NOT to do if your bitten by a snake.
1. Kill the snake
Often people feel the need (somewhat understandably) that they need to bring the snake into hospital for identification, the reality is however that the vast majority of medical personnel, have absolutely no experience in identifying snakes. Hospitals today use Venom Detection Kits, to identify the type of antivenin required and certainly don't appreciate venomous reptiles, alive or otherwise, being brought into the building!
Besides being of no medical value what so ever, the exertion involved in killing the snake is highly likely to speed up the spread of venom, as well as delaying the application of first aid and risking either a repeat bite, or your first aider being bitten as well!

2. Wash the bite site
As stated above, hospitals today rely on what we call a Venom Detection Kit, which essentially involves taking a swab from the bite site, to determine what type of antivenin you require. Washing the site, along with any remaining traces of venom will make it harder for medical experts to treat your bite quickly

3. Cut or Suck the wound
In the case of our most venomous snakes, only the tiniest amount of venom is required to be fatal, cutting, bleeding or sucking, is unable to remove very much of this venom at all, and further delays the application of the correct first aid, as well as washing away the trace amount of venom which are used in the Venom Detection Kit mentioned above

4. Apply a tourniquet
Most medical sources suggest there is roughly 3,000 snakebites reported annually in Australia, with as many as 500 requiring antivenin. If the use of a tourniquet was standard practice this means 2500 people annually would be cutting of blood supply to their limb, risking loosing it, only to find out they have not in fact received a venomous bite!

5. Move the patient
Because Muscle movement can hasten the spread of venom, snake bite patients should, if at all possible, be kept still and have help brought to them. Although exceptions such as allergic reactions exist, the application of correct first aid (as shown in the video below) generally makes it safe to wait quite some time for help to arrive. In fact in January 2017 a young man was bitten by a snake in the Blue Mountians, NSW, and had to wait until the following day, to be evacuated by Helicopter

FOR MORE SNAKEBITE INFORMATION CHECK OUT WWW.SNAKEBITEAUSTRALIA.COM