My Wifes,friends mother was weeding her garden,and was bitten

on the finger by a venomous snake,she never seen the snake,but

must have been Cobra or maybe a Viper,she drove herself to hospital

on her motorbike, lucky to be alive i think but not out of the woods

yet,the surgery looks a bit invasive for a snake bite,they are leaving

the wounds open for now ?,infection could be an issue i think. 

 

regards Worgeordie

Spoiler

 

 

Edited September 27, 20187 yr by Crossy
Added spoiler to conceal for the squeamish

Oh my god, I guess they cut her open in order to try and treat any necrosis that might set in. Not sure how they do that though. I wonder if she got any kind of anti venom. Looks absolutely horrific!

Poor woman! I hope she makes a full recovery. You can never be off guard when there is even the slightest  possibility of snakes being present.  

Jesus f-in wept !

 

I saw the first hand picture and was thinking- well, that finger looks a bit sore but no big deal.

Then I scrolled down...it would be interesting to understand why they had to open her arm up like that.

 

I get the odd snake at my place, I will keep more than a safe distance from now on.

 

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery !

1 hour ago, cmsally said:

Oh my god, I guess they cut her open in order to try and treat any necrosis that might set in. Not sure how they do that though. I wonder if she got any kind of anti venom. Looks absolutely horrific!

 

What you are seeing is called a fasciotomy, it is used to relieve pressure that is causing vascular restriction to the degree that it is putting a limb at risk of being lost, it is very much a last resort to save a limb from amputation.  However, this procedure is not normally recommended for snake bites as studies have suggested that it may worsen necrosis.  Presumably they have been trying anti-venom and this has been unsuccessful and have resorted to this in attempt to save the lady's arm.

10 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

What you are seeing is called a fasciotomy, it is used to relieve pressure that is causing vascular restriction to the degree that it is putting a limb at risk of being lost, it is very much a last resort to save a limb from amputation.  However, this procedure is not normally recommended for snake bites as studies have suggested that it may worsen necrosis.  Presumably they have been trying anti-venom and this has been unsuccessful and have resorted to this in attempt to save the lady's arm.

Also not knowing what kind of snake it was is a great problem,

I believe a Cobra,and a Viper have different venom's,that act in

different ways.

regards worgeordie

42 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Also not knowing what kind of snake it was is a great problem,

I believe a Cobra,and a Viper have different venom's,that act in

different ways.

regards worgeordie

 

Yes, it is crucial to know the species, the wrong anti-venom would be worse than no anti-venom, but they can normally identify the snake by the marks left.

Very interesting I hope she makes a full recovery.

Snakebites produce findings mimicking compartment syndrome that are rarely indicative of actual compartment syndrome. Myonecrosis results from venom toxicity rather than elevated compartment pressures. Fasciotomy does not prevent, and may worsen, necrosis. In some cases with elevated compartment pressures, treatment with antivenom and without fasciotomy was successful. No available evidence indicates when fasciotomy should be performed in the management of snakebites. If considered, fasciotomy should not be performed without first documenting elevated compartment pressure.

American College of Medical Toxicology and The American Academy of Clinical Toxicology

Edited September 27, 20187 yr by DoctorG
source

59 minutes ago, DoctorG said:

Snakebites produce findings mimicking compartment syndrome that are rarely indicative of actual compartment syndrome. Myonecrosis results from venom toxicity rather than elevated compartment pressures. Fasciotomy does not prevent, and may worsen, necrosis. In some cases with elevated compartment pressures, treatment with antivenom and without fasciotomy was successful. No available evidence indicates when fasciotomy should be performed in the management of snakebites. If considered, fasciotomy should not be performed without first documenting elevated compartment pressure.

American College of Medical Toxicology and The American Academy of Clinical Toxicology

What he said

I will take that personally as a lesson, since a few times I never do anything in the garden without a heavy pair of gloves, I take care mainly for centipedes because it seems to me that there are many in the garden, now I will not forget those pictures. 

Hoping that this poor woman will get better soon  

sure it wasnt one of those white tail spiders that cause necrosis? 

My goodness. I do hope the snake was not traumatised by this horrendous ordeal. Please. Try to find it, and feed it some rats to try to ease the shock. Take it to sleep in mils bed, as she wont be needing it. Then, after it has completely rested, and has a full belly, release it into a snake paradise of some sort. But first, flog the <deleted> over the head with a long handled shovel.

Edited September 27, 20187 yr by Goanna

Another reason to live in a condo 

My father in law was bitten on the leg 3 years ago,  he still has a limp,  but I thought he would lose his leg. 

Spoiler

 

 

4 hours ago, realfunster said:

Jesus f-in wept !

 

I saw the first hand picture and was thinking- well, that finger looks a bit sore but no big deal.

Then I scrolled down...it would be interesting to understand why they had to open her arm up like that.

 

I get the odd snake at my place, I will keep more than a safe distance from now on.

 

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery !

i thought exactly the same. before weeding my garden i make a point of thrashing a long broom stick in the flower beds first hoping that any snake go away.

Edited September 27, 20187 yr by catman20

This really is going to do a lot for all those people who preach about leaving snakes alone and they do no harm! She is the poster girl for "Kill them, kill them all!"

6 hours ago, worgeordie said:

infection could be an issue i think. 

Jesus H. Christ,  Worgeordie! I just threw up on my computer keyboard! ????

 

 

Very, very nasty, I hope everything turns out OK.

 

Meanwhile I've concealed the images to protect those who don't read the topic title.

 

The pictures I'll see in my nightmares.

Best wishes for recovery. Hope she does not lose her hand.

My wife does most of the banging around out in the garden, often at dusk and into the evening, so I plan to show her this thread as a thoughtful, respectful reminder to not stick her hands in places she can't see. 

 

I catch myself being complacent as well, so thank you to the OP for posting this.  Hope the lady pulls through.

Poor woman

I think a pair of nitrilcoated gloves would help in the garden 

Watch out for those Condo wall crawlers.

3 hours ago, Formaleins said:

This really is going to do a lot for all those people who preach about leaving snakes alone and they do no harm! She is the poster girl for "Kill them, kill them all!"

 

It's best to make as much noise when your in the garden, any snakes will go away, always wear boots up to your knees, wear gloves and always keep an eye about, snakes do not want to bite humans, they will do everything to avoid contact, but if they are scared all of a sudden they will pounce.

 

We have managed to get rid of a few snakes, usually the rat, frog seeking type, some not so lucky venomous ones, but shoving them along isn't too difficult if you need to, most will just slither away.

 

I prefer not to kill them, but if I have to, I will without a doubt, i.e. if they have a go, as one did when I bent over to get the bucket to wash the car, he was resting on a straw mat, the same colours as him, fortunately my reflexes got me out of trouble as I pulled back, don't ask me how, in the nick of time, then my wife showed it who's boss, this particular snake has no anti-venom, so I count my lucky stars to this day. 

I play golf. Luckily you have a golf club in your hand most of the time. I will remember to always be prepared...

18 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Also not knowing what kind of snake it was is a great problem,

I believe a Cobra,and a Viper have different venom's,that act in

different ways.

regards worgeordie

Take the dead snake to the hospital with you.

1 hour ago, The manic said:

Take the dead snake to the hospital with you.

In this case she never even seen the snake,but the best thing to do 

If possible ,but chances of getting bit again.

regards worgeordie

This really is going to do a lot for all those people who preach about leaving snakes alone and they do no harm! She is the poster girl for "Kill them, kill them all!"

 

Rubbish!  It is an example of what can happen if you do not create a lot of vibration, (eg by walking heavily, stamping your feet etc), before you work in that area of the garden or field.

 

When I lived in north Phuket, there were many cobra snakes which inhabited the grassy area next to my house.  I walked daily in that field, but always walked slowly and heavily, to allow the snakes to move away from me.  I saw many snakes, but never had any problems with them.

Very interesting thread, Thanks to the OP, and to Kieran001 and DoctorG for the detailed explainations.

I have had a few snakes in my garden in the last few years, and i noticed too that, once they hear me, they move away.

I killed a viper once which was coiled, probably asleep just in front of the backdoor.

So it seems that necrosis of tissues can be a major problem if you survive a bite, and i heard first-hand stories from country people which confirms that.

It could be interesting to know if there are "natural antidotes" for snake bites.

Hospitals may not have the right serum, or the serum might be expired, so that the only cure would be a surgical operation.

Dreadful.