Sneaking a red-tailed viper as a pet, a 13-year-old boy was bitten, life-threatening
A 13-year-old boy, from Hanoi, loves to raise and learn about animals on the Internet. Two weeks ago, she hid from her family and ordered three vipers online to bring home as pets and hide them in a closet. Around 3:30 p.m. on May 3, the patient was bitten by a snake on his index finger and immediately informed his family and was taken to the National Children’s Hospital for emergency treatment.
Dr. BS Le Ngoc Duy, Head of Emergency Department of Poison Control, National Children’s Hospital, said that the child was admitted to the hospital in a state of consciousness but tired, his right hand was swollen, bruised and bleeding for the index finger, aching… The doctor infuses the patient with serum against viper venom, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic to prevent wound infection. After 1 day of intensive treatment, the child’s health is stable and is expected to be discharged from the hospital in the next few days.
The red-tailed viper that the boy kept as a pet (Photo: provided by the patient’s family)
According to TS.BS Le Ngoc Duy, the red-tailed viper is one of the most powerful venomous snakes, second only to the king cobra. During pregnancy, the mother snake has a higher venom than usual. There are more than 20 different components in snake venom. The bite of this snake often bleeds a lot and swells very quickly.
When bitten by a red-tailed viper, the victim experiences phenomena such as bleeding that is difficult to stop, blood clotting disorders, edema, necrosis, cardiovascular collapse, which can cause rapid death (due to anaphylaxis) or leave severe sequelae.
Snake bite wound before and after one day of treatment (Photo: Hospital provided)
According to TS.BS Le Ngoc Duy, when a child is bitten or suspected by a poisonous snake, it is necessary to perform first aid measures properly such as:
– Move victim out of range of snake.
– Stay calm and limit movement, preferably immobilize the bitten limb with a splint, to slow the spread of the venom.
Remove jewelry and loosen tight clothing to avoid putting pressure on the wound to start swelling.
– Position yourself so that the bitten area is below heart level, such as lying down, even while being transported to the hospital.
– Clean the wound with soap and physiological saline.
Use a clean, dry gauze to cover the bitten area.
– Urgently call the nearest hospital for emergency treatment with a specific antivenom, especially when the wound has fangs or changes color, starts to swell and painful.
Attention: do not use gauze bandage to tighten the bitten area, this way both hurts the victim and hinders blood circulation to the extremities causing necrosis. Do not arbitrarily apply cold, apply chemicals, apply leaves … on the wound. Remember the color of the snake so that the doctor can easily identify the type of snake to treat.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: cafebiz.vn – Read the original article here
