The old man was bitten by a poisonous snake, and his "textbook-style" self-rescue was praised! Doctors remind: Don't imitate the "sucking venom with your mouth" in movies and TV dramas

"At first I thought my left hand was pricked by a thorn, but when I looked down I saw a yellow snake scurrying away. Its head was a very obvious triangle, and it was a five-step snake that is quite common in rural areas. I think I was bitten by a snake."

In the emergency room of Yiwu Central Hospital, Uncle Lei, who was bitten by a venomous snake, finally recovered.

After being bitten by a venomous snake, Uncle Lei calmly and steadily carried out a series of treatments: applying pressure bandages, flushing the wound, and rushing to the hospital immediately. This "textbook-like" self-rescue treatment won the doctor's praise.

A man was bitten by a five-step snake while weeding in the field

"Textbook-style" self-rescue treatment

The day before yesterday, while it was still light, Uncle Lei wanted to weed his corn field, but he encountered a poisonous snake unexpectedly. "It's hard to weed the corn field with a hoe, so I pulled it out by hand. I wore long sleeves and long pants, but once I got to the field, I rolled up my sleeves to make it easier to work!"

Uncle Lei recalled that the venomous snake that bit him was about one meter long and had a "yellow pattern" with a distinct triangular head . Based on his experience and judgment, it should be the five-step snake that is more common in rural areas.

The snake ran away before he could take a photo with his mobile phone, but Uncle Lei still carefully wrote down its characteristics, which also provided a basis for the subsequent medical treatment.

"People in the countryside say that if you are bitten by a snake, you must not panic." So Uncle Lei immediately applied a pressure bandage to his finger, rinsed it repeatedly with clean water, and then rushed to the hospital, where he treated the wound and injected anti-snake venom serum as soon as possible.

According to statistics, Yiwu Central Hospital receives more than 250 cases of snake bites every year, mostly from April to October. The bites occur mainly before and after the rain, as well as during the peak hours of snake activity in the morning and evening. Most of the patients are people working outdoors in fields, fish ponds, etc., or citizens playing outdoors.

"On the one hand, this period happens to be the season when snakes are most active. On the other hand, farm work is busy at this time, and people are mostly dressed in short-sleeved shirts and shorts, which makes it more likely for snake bites to occur."

Xiong Kai, an emergency physician at Yiwu Central Hospital, said that in Yiwu area, the poisonous snakes that often appear are mainly pit vipers, five-step snakes, bamboo green snakes, cobras and coral snakes. According to the data of snake bite patients who have been treated, about 90% were bitten by pit vipers, and about 10% were bitten by five-step snakes, bamboo green snakes, cobras, coral snakes, etc.

Injection of antivenom

Seize the 2 hours of golden time

Snake venom is one of the most complex and concentrated natural toxins in nature. The content of each toxic component varies greatly among different venomous snakes. Even the toxic components of the same species of venomous snake may vary due to differences in geographical distribution, seasonality, age of the snake, etc.

"Take the five common snakes in Yiwu as an example. The five-step snake and the bamboo leaf pit viper are blood-circulating toxins, the Bungarus cobra is a neurotoxin, and the pit viper and the cobra are mixed toxins. Blood-circulating toxins can cause abnormal coagulation function, heavy bleeding, and swelling; while neurotoxins can cause dizziness and respiratory depression."

Xiong Kai said that after being bitten by a venomous snake, the golden time for injection of anti-snake venom serum treatment is within 2 hours , and the patient can generally recover well; but if one mistakenly judges that the snake is not venomous and does not seek medical treatment, or is unable to get timely help due to remote location or incorrect handling, serious consequences such as disability or death may occur.

How to prevent snake bites? It is important to alert the snake!

Xiong Kai also reminded that according to the time periods when snakes are active most frequently, it is recommended that citizens avoid outdoor activities in the early morning, dusk and night, and avoid going to places with many grass and trees. If you really need to go out for work or play, you should take relevant precautions, such as wearing long sleeves, long pants, boots, etc.; when entering the woods, parks, and mountains, you can use sticks or branches to drive away snakes in the grass; do not actively provoke snakes when you see them, but quietly walk away.

If you are unfortunately bitten by a venomous snake, first aid is crucial!

1. Reduce activities, stay calm, avoid running around, speed up blood circulation and cause venom absorption, and keep the injured limb low (the wound should be below the level of the heart);

2. Rinse the wound quickly with plenty of clean water or soapy water;

3. If the patient is unconscious and his breathing and heart have stopped beating, please perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation immediately.

Special reminder! Do not imitate the practice of "sucking poison with your mouth" in movies and TV dramas, which may poison the rescuer. Do not squeeze the wound with your hands or cut the wound yourself. If it is not handled properly, it will cause the toxin to spread faster and is more likely to accelerate the time it takes for the toxin to take effect.

In addition, doctors also remind patients to bring snake specimens or take photos when seeking medical treatment, and provide as much information as possible about venomous snakes, such as color, pattern, shape, etc., to facilitate doctors to make timely and rapid judgments and provide targeted treatment.

Dong Qi, reporter from Orange Persimmon Interactive

Correspondent Zhang Jinrong