can you help counter snake venom with a tourniquet..? 🐍

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If someone got bit by a snake or other deadly venomous creature on their hand of foot would isolating the poison in that limb by applying a tourniquet be a good/potentially life saving thing to do..?

Logic being the infected blood cannot reach the vital organs/systems granting time to get treatment or anti venom.

If not then why.. ?

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6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

In Australia, snake bites are treated using a compression bandage wrapped the length of the bitten limb. Not tight enough to cut off blood flow like a tourniquet but to reduce blood flow and reduce flow in the lymphatic system and partially immobilize the limb. People bitten are also advised to lay down and be as still as possible. The reasoning being that your body can process and elminate the toxin but in small amounts. Keeping the limb compressed and immobile will keep most of the venom locally around the bite but allow small amounts into the rest of the body to be processed and eliminated until you can (hopefully) get medical help.

There are anecdotal stories of people getting bitten and not having access to medical treatment (such as Aboringal people pre-colonization) so they just lay down and were completely still for about 3 days before getting up and carrying on with no ill effects. But many snakebites are “dry” with no envenomation so it’s unsure if that tactic actually worked or if it only seemed to work because it was a dry bite.

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