Comments on: Use a Sawyer Extractor for Snake and Insect Bites

By: Bug Out Bag | Pearltrees

Bug Out Bag | Pearltrees — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:38:45 +0000

[...] The Sawyer Extractor is the best first aid application for poisonous snake bites as well as insect bites and stings. The Extractor is a venom suction system that removes the venom from the victims bloodstream. The Sawyer Extractor system is also reusable and a definite must have for your Bug Out Bag or other survival gear. While it is prominently known as a first aid measure for a dangerous snake bite, it is equally effective for relief from mosquito bites or bee stings. Snake bites are a definite threat in a survival situation and a hospital may not be available, you are going to need all of the help you can get. Use a Sawyer Extractor for Snake and Insect Bites [...]

By: Use a Sawyer Extractor for Snake and Insect Bites | Wilderness and Survival

Use a Sawyer Extractor for Snake and Insect Bites | Wilderness and Survival — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:31:28 +0000

[...] Use a Sawyer Extractor for Snake and Insect Bites. This entry was posted in survival. Bookmark the permalink. ← Female Self Defense: 5 [...]

By: MethanP

MethanP — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:37:24 +0000

If this kit works, it is the only one that should even be considered. You should never be cutting or sucking it.

By: wantalongername

wantalongername — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:26:22 +0000

I got some snakes , who wants to do some research?

By: beenthere4real

beenthere4real — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:21:06 +0000

The best treatment is prevention, good high top boots and a good pair of gators wil prevent bites to the ankles and calves, as far as bites on hands go keep them out of harms way. If your bug out area is wilderness or desert a good walking staff is a great tool, use it to push brush out of the way or to check obvious snake hideing spots.

By: Prep4theDay

Prep4theDay — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 05:37:52 +0000

I worked in a Florida ER for 8 years and never heard of any effective treatment given to a snake bite victim before they got to us and our stocks of anti-venin. Honestly, we just didn't get many injuries of that sort and I don't recall any deaths from them.

What we DID get a lot of was spider/insect bites, jellyfish stings, animal bites/scratches and once in a great while a stingray… um… sting. Out of all those things, the biggest problem by far was infection (from the environment, not the toxins).

I got a Sawyer kit in my 1st aid bag (personal use, not professional) but for insect bites not snake bites. It's not that I believe in them, so much as, I try to keep an open mind and wait for research results and to hear experiences from others.

By: Resh

Resh — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 21:16:55 +0000

Bear in mind with those statistics that this is with hospitals for treatment. Google up some images of Brown Recluse bites, but try to do it on an empty stomach. They can cause necrosis of tissue (some pictures were severe enough that they required skin grafts after treatment). That tissue necrosis could absolutely lead to death via subsequent bacterial infections without medical treatment I would think.

Try here for some treatment methods from emedicinehealth.com: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/spider_bite_brown_…

Interestingly, they do mention suction and electricity as options to not try. Maybe in this case, due to the tendency of the venom to kill flesh already, creating that pocket of suction could potentially worsen the effect? I don't know for certain, just speculating.

By: corky

corky — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:32:39 +0000

i'd rather have any type of venom removal than none!

By: NilsFranco

NilsFranco — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 06:05:50 +0000

Its Venomous not poisonous (Paragraph 1 Line 2)

By: Seth McConnel

Seth McConnel — Sun, 15 May 2011 21:30:29 +0000

Hi all. I just wanted to make a few comments on the safety and efficacy of venom extractors. First, let me say I've been studying reptiles, specifically venomous species, for about six years. The most prevalent snakes in the United States are the Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) and the Rattlesnake (genera Crotalus and Sistrurus). Copperhead bites are almost never life-threatening, with only two recorded cases of death in American history, all of which involved envenomations from multiple snakes. A. contortrix also has a primarily hemotoxic venom, which causes severe bleeding. In this instance, use of a sawyer extractor would cause more harm than good, owing to more blood loss.

In the case of rattlesnakes, it's a slightly different story. North American Rattlesnakes have varying degrees of toxicity, but all have venom which is primarily hemotoxic. Again, this will cause blood loss. Using a tourniquet on the limb can also cause more damage, as the venom stays concentrated to that limb, causing necrosis.

Also, venom is spread by the lymphatic system, not the blood. Any attempt to remove venom from the blood is ultimately futile.

Antivenin is the only effective treatment for a venomous snake bite. However, it has a shelf life of only two years, and usually must be refrigerated, except in the case of CroFab and other 2nd generation antivenins. It must be administered via an infusion pump at a rate of no more than 1ml/min, and there must be a support team in place, as antivenin can cause serum sickness, or worse, anaphylactic shock.

In other words, the best field treatment for a snake bite is to get the victim to immediate medical attention. If that is impossible, keep them calm, administer fluids, and manage the pain.