Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 32

Thread: Copperhead bite

  1. #1

    Copperhead bite

    We have a guy at work on crutches due to a copperhead bite on his foot. He was walking his dog at night (it's been warm here this week) and got hit. He called the paramedics and the paramedic assured him that he didn't need antivenom due to it being a "dry bite." Well, it wasn't a dry bite the next day and it was too late for antivenom. It sucks, but he seems alright and won't have any permanent effects.
    #RESIST

  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Heading for the hills
    Copperheads suck.

    So, understanding that many bites from snakes are dry, how in the world is someone supposed to tell a dry bite, from envenomated (if that is a word)? Mr. Paramedic was, I suspect, pretty far out of his lane.

  3. #3
    Site Supporter Mjolnir's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Not sure, really
    Quote Originally Posted by Tensaw View Post
    Copperheads suck.

    So, understanding that many bites from snakes are dry, how in the world is someone supposed to tell a dry bite, from envenomated (if that is a word)? Mr. Paramedic was, I suspect, pretty far out of his lane.
    There is no way in Hades I would have listened to the paramedic.

    He definitely was far out of his lane.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Columbus Ohio Area

    Copperhead bite

    Quote Originally Posted by Tensaw View Post
    Mr. Paramedic was, I suspect, pretty far out of his lane.
    Maybe, maybe not. A handful of states regularly require EMS to get training on various types of snake bites. If particular snakes are problematic in certain areas, they probably get more training on those specific types of snakes. When I did SAR, I got a lot more training on copperhead bites than I ever did in EMS. It going to depend on what their protocols are as well. Most EMS agencies used to focus on transporting everyone because of legal liabilities. Today, since everyone goes to the emergency department when they have a cold, some places are specifically trying to avoid taking people to the emergency department.

    Unfortunately, what happens a lot in EMS is:
    -people with little training recognize it is over their head.
    -people with lots of training feel they are equipped to handle it.
    -people with even more training recognize it is still over their head.

    The paramedic in question may have had significant training and been given the impression that reducing the amount of patients to the ED was important.

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Last edited by Josh Runkle; 09-12-2019 at 07:57 AM.

  5. #5
    banana republican blues's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Blue Ridge Mtns
    I dispatched one the other day...more out of fear of it biting the dog than anything else.
    There's nothing civil about this war.

    Read: Harrison Bergeron

  6. #6
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    North Carolina
    When doing yard work with my snub in my pocket, I load the fifth chamber with snake shot, just in case Mr Copperhead shows up. Hopefully I’ll have time to draw, pop the cylinder, rotate the snake shot round into the number one position, and blast him before he slithers away.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

  7. #7
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    West Virginia
    There's a good chance he wouldn't have received antivenom anyway. Until very recently care for a copperhead bite virtually never included it. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that a study showed that the current antivenoms were even worth giving at all. It's also expensive as hell and can run well over $50K just for a starter dose.

    We're infested with copperheads in this area but as a healthy adult I would most likely turn down antivenom for a single bite on the foot.

  8. #8
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Northern Virginia
    I live in the same region as LL. We are lousy with copperheads. I see them all the damn time. Luckily they're not very aggressive.

    From April until Oct, when I'm in the woods, I carry a revolver and the first shot is snake shot. I know from experience it'll dispatch a large snake with ease.

    Chris

  9. #9
    Member TGS's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Back in northern Virginia
    Quote Originally Posted by scjbash View Post
    There's a good chance he wouldn't have received antivenom anyway. Until very recently care for a copperhead bite virtually never included it. It wasn't until a couple of years ago that a study showed that the current antivenoms were even worth giving at all. It's also expensive as hell and can run well over $50K just for a starter dose.

    We're infested with copperheads in this area but as a healthy adult I would most likely turn down antivenom for a single bite on the foot.
    Why is it so expensive? Shkreli run the company that makes it?
    "Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll."- Last words of Todd Beamer

  10. #10
    Member
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    Dallas
    Quote Originally Posted by Mjolnir View Post
    There is no way in Hades I would have listened to the paramedic.

    He definitely was far out of his lane.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Agreed. When my friend got bit by a rattlesnake at the police range, she went to the hospital and was told she would be there 6 hours minimum. After an hour the swelling set in and there was s nurse in the room every 15 minutes with a sharpie marking the spread.
    Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right.

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •