Anatom3DVenomous snakebite
Morsus serpentis venenatae · Uštknutí jedovatým hadem
What it is
In Europe the common adder's bite: swelling and sickness, rarely dangerous; worldwide, snakebite kills about 100 000 people a year.
Symptoms & signs
- Two fang marks
- pain and spreading swelling
- nausea, vomiting, faintness
- bleeding gums or urine (some species)
- drooping eyelids and weakness (neurotoxic species)
🚩 Get help if…
- call 112 / 911 now Any bite from a venomous snake — call and keep the limb still
- call 112 / 911 now Swelling of the face or tongue, trouble breathing or collapse
- call 112 / 911 now Bleeding gums, blood in urine or drooping eyelids
- see a doctor soon Swelling spreading up the limb
Where it strikes
Medical treatment
- Keep still, immobilise the limb, get to hospital
- observation and blood tests for clotting
- antivenom for severe swelling or shock
- pain relief and tetanus check
Natural & lifestyle
- Boots and long trousers in adder country
- leave snakes alone
- carry a phone
Emerging & experimental
- Varespladib, an oral enzyme blocker
- broad-spectrum recombinant antivenoms
Alternative, off-label & anecdotal
Approaches used outside the guidelines, with what their supporters report and what testing has found so far.
- Cutting and sucking the wound — worsens tissue damage and infection not confirmed in trials
- Tourniquet — can cost the limb; immobilise instead not confirmed in trials
- Black stone (snake stone) — traditional; no effect anecdotal / traditional
- Electric shock to the bite — tested in animals: no benefit anecdotal / traditional
ICD codes
- ICD-10 T63.0
- ICD-11 NE61 Harmful effects of or exposure to noxious substances, chiefly nonmedicinal as to source, not elsewhere classified