HPR 010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Pit Viper, Coral Snake, Bandage
12 Jun 2018
School
Course
Professor
Chapter 19: Bites and Stings
Animal Bites
- Dogs are responsible for the majority of all animal bite injuries. 80% of the nearly 5 million dog
bites that occur yearly are trivial or minor, and medical care is not required or sought.
- A dog’s outh a arr more than 60 species of bacteria, some of which are dangerous to
humans.
- Two examples of infection-tetanus and rabies have been almost eradicated by medical advances,
but they still are a problem.
- Ferrets are also prone to unprovoked attacks, and they can repeatedly bite a person causing
injury.
- Besides kids, older adults are prone to bites b/c they might not be able to detect or prevent a
dangerous situation
- A damaged face presents several issues because the proximity of blood vessels to the skin surface
makes the face susceptible to copious bleeding.
- Rabies
o A virus found in warm blooded animals causes rabies, which spreads from one animal to
another in the saliva, usually through a bite or by licking. Cold blooded animals do not
have the danger of rabies.
o A bite or a scratch is considered a significant rabies exposure if it penetrates the skin
o Possibility from rabies from animals that attack out of nowhere, animals that act out of
character, animals that are high-risk species.
o DO NOT play aggressive games with a dog. DO NOT disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating,
or caring for puppies.
- What to Look For:
o Bite that has broken the skin: puncture wound from the sharp teeth, crushed skin and
tissue, open wound on fingers
▪ What to Do: stop bleeding with direct pressure, for shallow wound: wash inside
and around with soap and water, put ointment on it and a sterile dressing; for a
sever bite, clean the wound, close wide and gaping wounds and get a tetanus
booster
o Bite that did not break the skin
▪ What to Do: apply an ice pack for 20 minutes
o Wild animal bite
▪ What to Do: DO NOT try to capture the animal; DO NOT kill the animal. If you
must kill it, DO NOT hit its head b/c the brain can be checked for rabies
- Human Bites
o These bites can cause severe injury, often more than animal bites b/c the human mouth
has a wide range of bacteria
o Most human bites are inflicted by fighting youths, people in mental institutes, or during
sexual assaults.
o What to Look for:
▪ True ite: part of the od’s flesh is aught etee teeth, or it occurs during
fights and in abuse
▪ Clenched fist injury: results form cutting a fist on teeth, usually during a fight,
associated with a high likelihood of infection, injury is usually a laceration over
the knuckles
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o What to Do: wash wound with soap and water, flush wound out, control bleeding with
direct pressure, cover wound with sterile dressing, DO NOT close wound with tape, seek
medical care.
Snake Bites
- 100,000 people die of snake bites each year
- The first three species of venomous snakes are pit vipers, which have 3 characteristics in common:
o Triangular, flat heads wider than their necks
o Elliptical pupils (cat-like eyes)
o A heat- sensitive pit between the eye and the nostril on each side of the head
- The coral snake is small and colorful, with a series of bright red, yellow, and black bands around
its body.
- A legitimate snake bite is one in which the person was bitten before the encounter with a snake
was recognized or while trying to move away from the snake. They most often involve the lower
extremities and are accidental.
- An illegitimate snake bite is one in which, before being bitten, the person recognized the
encounter with a snake but did not attempt to move away from the snake. Occurs on the upper
extremities.
- Pit Vipers:
o Rattlesnakes are the most widespread type of pit viper
o Water moccasins are found in the southeast. Snakes benefit us by keeping the rodent
population from exploding out of control. They consume mice and rats and few act
aggressively towards humans.
o Alcohol intoxication is a factor in many bites.
o In 25% of venomous snake bites, venom is not injected – only fang and tooth wounds
occur.
▪ Get the person away from the snake. A dead snake can still bite even if
decapitated. DO NOT try to capture of kill the snake.
▪ Wash the bite, remove jewelry or tight clothes. Call 911
o What to Look for:
▪ Snake characteristics: triangular, flat head, wider than the neck, vertical pupils,
heat sensitive pit between eye and nostril
▪ Signs and symptoms: severe burning pain, small puncture wounds, swelling,
discoloration and blisters, nausea, vomiting, sweating and weakness
• What to Do: call 911, carry the person and walk slowly, DO NOT apply a
pressure bandage
- DO NOT: handle venomous snakes, avoid hiking in snake infested area, reach into holes or ledges,
handle a dead snake – they can bite 90 minutes after being killed, surprise or corner a snake, keep
venomous snakes as pets
o Wear protective gear while handling snakes
- DO NOT apply cold or ice to a snake – frostbite; apply mouth suction → mouth has lots of bacteria
and can cause infection; apply electric shock; apply constriction bandages; apply pressure
bandages
- Coral Snake Bites
o Aeria’s ost venomous snake but it rarely bites people. Has short fangs and tends to
hang on and chew its venom into the person rather than to strike and release
o Their venom is a neurotoxin and symptoms can begin 1 to 5 hours after the bite.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o What to Look for:
▪ Snake characteristics: small and very colorful with bright red, yellow and black
bands; each alternate band is yellow; black snout
▪ Following a bite, the following signs and symptoms may be present: few
immediate signs; several hours after there may be nausea, vomiting, sweating,
tremors, drowsiness, slurred speech, blurred vision, swallowing difficulty and
breathing difficulty
o What to Do: Call 911, apply a wide elastic bandage, wrap at the end of the bitten limb
upward, stabilize the bitten arm or leg as you would for a broken bone and keep it below
heart level; DO NOT cut skin or use suction
- Nonvenomous Snake Bites
o Inflict the most snake bites
o What to Look For: horseshoe shape of tooth marks on skin, bleeding, possible swelling,
mild itching, and tenderness
o What to Do: wash with soap and water; treat the bite as you would a shallow wound;
consult a doctor.
- Other reptile bites
o Venomous lizards include the Gila monster and the Mexican bearded lizard.
o Veoous lizards a firl hag o durig the ite ad he eo ito the perso’s
skin
o What to Look For: puncture wounds- teeth may break off, swelling and pain, often severe
and burning, sweating, vomiting, increased heart rate, shortness of breath
Insect Stings
- The stinging insects belonging to the order Hymenoptera include honeybees, bumblebees, yellow
jackets, hornets, wasps, and fire ants.
- 0.4% to 0.8% of children and 3% of adults have life-threatening allergic reactions to Hymenoptera
venom
o Most consequences can be treated with first aid.
- Venomous flying insects are aggressive only when threatened or when their hives or nests are
disrupted.
o Then they sting, sometimes in swarms.
- Hoeees hae ared stigers that eoe eedded i a perso’s ski durig the stig.
- After injecting its venom, the bee flies away, tearing and leaving behind the embedded stinger
and venom sac, which causes it to die.
o Some of the venom stays in the stinger, not all gets in the person
o If the stiger ad eo sa are’t reoed properl, ore eo a e released ad
orse the perso’s oditio
- Because the stingers of wasps, hornets, and fire ants do not become embedded, they can sting
many times and not die.
- Two types of yellow jackets
o Wasp – stings many times
o Ground-nesting bee- stings once and dies
- Most stings cause self-limited, local inflammatory reactions, consisting of pain, itching, redness
and swelling. The reactions are a nuisance rather than an emergency.
- Signs and symptoms of life-threatening reactions are nausea, vomiting, wheezing, fever, and
drippy nose
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Dogs are responsible for the majority of all animal bite injuries. 80% of the nearly 5 million dog bites that occur yearly are trivial or minor, and medical care is not required or sought. A dog"s (cid:373)outh (cid:272)a(cid:374) (cid:272)arr(cid:455) more than 60 species of bacteria, some of which are dangerous to humans. Two examples of infection-tetanus and rabies have been almost eradicated by medical advances, but they still are a problem. Ferrets are also prone to unprovoked attacks, and they can repeatedly bite a person causing injury. Besides kids, older adults are prone to bites b/c they might not be able to detect or prevent a dangerous situation. A damaged face presents several issues because the proximity of blood vessels to the skin surface makes the face susceptible to copious bleeding. Rabies: a virus found in warm blooded animals causes rabies, which spreads from one animal to another in the saliva, usually through a bite or by licking.
