What a bite can look like
Queensland Health lists these signs of a snake bite:
- “Puncture marks”
- “Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea”
- “Headache”
- “Drowsiness or light headedness”
- “Change in vision (double vision, difficulty focussing)”
- “Chest or abdominal pain”
- “Difficulty breathing or inability to breath”
Those signs may not arrive on cue. The Better Health Channel says the signs of a bite are not always visible, that a person may not even feel the bite, and that symptoms may not be obvious for an hour or more. healthdirect’s advice is that every snake bite should be looked at by a doctor, even when the person seems well.
Queensland Health’s procedure, whole
Queensland Health gives one procedure for bites from snakes, funnel-web and mouse spiders, the blue-ringed octopus and cone shells. Here it is in full, word for word and in the page’s order, with the page’s note where the page puts it. The numbers on the left are step numbers, not times.
- 01
“Check breathing and circulation If patient is not conscious follow the DRABCD of first aid”
- 02
“Call 000”
- 03
“Apply pressure immobilisation bandage: Firmly bandage the area of body involved (including the wound) starting above the fingers or toes (but not so tight as to cause tingling or colour changes)”
- 04
“If a bandage is not available, something similar such as an item of clothing or towel can be used”
- 05
“Pressure immobilisation is recommended because it reduces the speed at which the venom spreads throughout the body by collapsing small vessels called lymphatic vessels, which are involved in collecting fluid (and the snake/spider venom) from the body's tissues and returning it to the bloodstream.”
- 06
“Immobilise the limb using a splint to reduce the muscles from pumping the venom along the limb”
- 07
“Encourage the person to sit quietly. Reassurance is important to help keep the patient calm”
- 08
“If possible, mark the bandage at the site of the bite/sting with a pen so that medical professionals can examine the affected area without taking the bandage off”
- 09
“Re-check circulation in the fingers or toes that have been bandaged to ensure the bandage is not too tight”
- !
The page’s note“Note, applying a tourniquet, cutting or sucking the venom from the wound is not recommended.”
- 10
“In the case of a snake bite, avoid washing the area, as residual venom can be used as a sample to help identify the type of snake involved.”
- 11
“Do not attempt to kill the snake as snakes are protected by law.”
- 12
“If it is possible and safe to do so, it may be useful to capture the animal involved, for identification purposes, in case anti-venom is required.”
- 13
“However do not put yourself in danger.”
- 14
“An ambulance should be promptly called, by dialling 000. It is important to stay with the individual concerned in case they deteriorate and require CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) while waiting for medical help to arrive.”
Source: Queensland Health’s bites and stings page on qld.gov.au, used under CC BY 4.0.
Three things the procedure rules out
A tourniquet, a cut, sucking out venom
Queensland Health’s note says all three are not recommended. ANZCOR, the Australian and New Zealand Committee on Resuscitation, is firmer about tourniquets in its first aid guideline: one that cuts off the blood supply to a limb is potentially dangerous, and it says such tourniquets are not recommended for any type of bite or sting in Australia.
Washing the bite
The reason is in step 10: venom left on the skin can be tested to tell which snake it was. healthdirect adds that venom on clothing can help too.
Taking the bandage off
Step 08 marks the bite on the bandage so that medical staff can look at it without unwrapping. ANZCOR’s guideline says the bandage and splint stay on until the person has been assessed in a suitable hospital setting. It is not left unwatched, though: step 09 re-checks the fingers or toes beyond it, to make sure it is not too tight.
Catching the snake
Queensland Health and healthdirect agree on one point: do not kill it. Queensland Health ties that to the law, because snakes are protected by law.
On catching it, they part. Queensland Health says that if it is possible and safe, capturing the animal may help identify it in case antivenom is needed, and in the next breath, “However do not put yourself in danger.” healthdirect says not to try to catch or kill the snake, because many Australian snakes are protected species.
Whichever way it goes, the venom left on the skin is a second way to identify the snake, which is why the bite stays unwashed. healthdirect says the doctor decides whether antivenom is needed, and that antivenom is available for all snakes native to Australia.
Snakes at the water’s edge
The NSW environment department counts about 140 land snake species in Australia, and 32 recorded sea snake species, and it lists mangrove snakes among the country’s venomous rear-fanged snakes. healthdirect’s advice is that because snakes can be hard to identify, every snake bite is to be treated as a medical emergency, sea snakes included.
Rarely, healthdirect says, a person has a severe allergic reaction to a snake bite, called anaphylaxis. ASCIA, the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, publishes the ASCIA first aid plan for anaphylaxis as a printable PDF.
Who to call
Queensland Health’s page says: “If you have any concerns with level of consciousness or breathing call 000 immediately.”
For other symptoms or worries after a bite, the same page points to Queensland Health’s registered nurses at 13 HEALTH, on 13 43 25 84, a Queensland line.
Spider bites share most of this procedure, with one large exception for the redback: the spider bites page sets out both Queensland procedures.