Consequences of a viper bite for humans

Vipers are poisonous snakes, representing an independent family. They inhabit almost the entire Earth, except for Antarctica, Madagascar, Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia. Therefore, it will be important for readers to know when and where a viper can bite a person. The consequences of contact with poisonous amphibians and the rules of first aid, we also discuss, because such information can be a good help for those going to nature.

A little bit about the nature of vipers

Contrary to the established opinion, vipers are not aggressive and do not dream to attack a person. On the contrary, when he meets him, the first thing a viper will try to do is to crawl away as far as possible.

But the habit of these reptiles to hide in hollows, grass or under bumps, waiting for prey, often leads to the fact that reckless people who find themselves in the forest, disturb or frighten the snake, forcing it to defend itself. So the number of bitten people grows, and, incidentally, according to statistics, in 70% of cases the perpetrator of this is the victim himself.

The consequences of a viper bite for a person can be different, with a lethal outcome recorded very rarely. Poisoning often has an easy form - the disease manifests itself in the form of a small painful swelling at the site of the bite, which after a while passes by itself. But, unfortunately, from time to time there are serious problems caused by poisoning. It all depends on where, whom, and when the viper was bitten. We will describe this in more detail.

What an adder looks like

Viper usually lives in the forests. It grows to 75 cm, has a gray-blue or black color. And her closest relative, who lives in the plains, on dry slopes overgrown with shrubbery, or in clay ravines, is a steppe adder-lighter, brownish-gray with a contrasting zigzag strip on her back. Another representative of this family, by the way, listed in the Red Book - the viper of Nikolsky - is absolutely black. She is already referred to the forest-steppe snake.

As you can see, each natural zone has its own poisonous inhabitant. And by the way, all of them are not distinguished by special nobility and do not warn the traveler about their presence, unlike, for example, from the beautiful and very dangerous African noisy viper. A bite, the consequence of which is not difficult to predict, it can only be obtained after a loud hiss and a formidable inflation of the body. And our "compatriots", being frightened and having decided that danger is next to them, attack immediately, without unnecessary sounds.

Where you can meet the viper

Departing at the beginning of spring or autumn to nature, remember that at this time of year the vipers keep closer to their wintering place. Typically, this is:

• Edge swamps,
• Clearings,
• LEP,
• Forest edges,
• Garden plots with construction debris,
• Dumps of land management works.

In summer, snakes can be anywhere, however, in the daytime they most like places where you can bask in the sun (vipers are very thermophilic): the surface of the stones, the southern slope of the ravine or the sunny edge. By the way, for the same reason they can crawl to your fire at night.

And in order not to then consider the consequences of the viper bite, a tourist should immediately take care of safety: put on high shoes on thick soles, fill in jeans trousers (the fabric of these trousers is dense enough, so it is advisable to go to such an outfit), arm yourself With a stick and her, and not with his hands, push apart piles of leaves and dry branches, rummage through mink, hollow, or throw stones away. At night, it's essential to shine a flashlight under your feet. And waking up in the morning on a halt, carefully check all the bags and shoes that remained outside the tent.

The consequences of a viper bite depend on the composition of its venom

What is dangerous poison vipers? The fact is that it is mostly hemo- and cytotoxic. That is, as a result of its action, there is a deep structural and functional change in the cells of the blood or tissues, which causes their death. Such an effect is due to the huge amount of so-called necrotizing enzymes in the composition of the poison.

But neurotoxins in viper poison are absent, due to which its influence on the nervous system is not observed. Yes, and produces the poison of a viper in a much smaller quantity than its counterparts - aspides or dwarf snakes. However, for a person who has suffered a viper bite, the consequences can still be quite sad, especially if he already had previous problems with the cardiovascular system or whether the first aid was given him wrong.

What determines the danger of a viper bite

Despite the fact that bites of vipers are fixed often enough, the death rate does not always occur - the probability is less than 1% (among other things, among those who were stung by bees, wasps or hornets, who died much more). Nevertheless, there is not much to enjoy in this.

But what will be the consequences of the bite, depends on certain factors:

1. The size of a viper. It is established that the larger the snake, the more poisonous glands it has, and, naturally, the poison is released in large volumes.
2. Weight and height of the victim. The larger the creature bitten by the snake, the less impact the poison will have. So, the consequences of a viper bite for a dog or child will be much more serious than for an adult. The secret lies in the fact that snake venom is more quickly and more fully absorbed into the body of the victim with a small volume and mass.
3. The place of the bite. It is believed that bites in the neck, shoulder and chest are more dangerous than in the leg of a person or the paw of an animal.
4. The state of health of the victim. If there is a heart disease, there is a danger of shock, which can be triggered by panic and rapid heartbeat, which quickly spreads the poison around the body.

Why do some viper bites happen to be "dry"

The decisive role in the seriousness of the consequences of the viper bite is played by the amount of poison it has isolated. And this directly depends on the hunting habits of the amphibian. The Viper only hunts live small prey: mice, lizards, sometimes moles. She does it swiftly, from an ambush, after which she expects the action of poison. By the way, it should be noted that his snake spends carefully, trying to keep something in reserve as much as possible, so in some cases its bite for a person turns out to be completely harmless (in medicine it is called "dry").

But, since it can be difficult to determine the amount of poison immediately, the victim should be given first aid in any case.

What does the viper bite look like?

It is important to know that the poison is most toxic to the poison in the spring, which means that at this time of the year one should be especially careful when going on a hike. In addition, it does not stop to know the main consequences of the viper bite.

1. The place of the bite is very sore.
2. The affected limb quickly swells and becomes purple-cyanotic with dark spots.
3. There may be chills, nausea, dizziness.
4. In some cases, there is an increase in temperature.
5. Blood pressure is reduced.
6. In the case of untimely assistance in the bite area, tissue necrosis develops .

In severe cases, the consequences of a viper bite can be expressed by a small period of excitation of the patient, which quickly gives way to drowsiness and apathy. The victim complains of dryness and bitter taste in the mouth, the pulse is noticeably quicker, there is weakness, dyspnea, dizziness. In especially severe cases, collapse may develop. The functions of the kidneys and liver are violated, and wet wheezing caused by stagnant phenomena is heard in the lungs.

What to do with a viper bite

Let's deviate a little from the topic and remember how to behave if after a walk suddenly found on the body of a bloodsucker - a tick. What for? And then, that the actions of the victim of this insect and the viper victims in some way should be similar. Are they surprised? In vain. So, what consequences after the tick bite (in humans) can take place, we will not discuss - this is the topic of another article. Let's remember what needs to be done first. Correctly, it is necessary to detect the parasite as soon as possible and correctly (!) Remove it. The same should be done with a snake bite - it is very important to buy time and competently provide assistance.

Lay the victim so that the head is below the body level - this will reduce the chance of cerebral blood flow. Remove all jewelry from the limb (it can swell too much).

Press on the place of the bite from the sides, thus opening the wound, and within 15 minutes suck the poison with the mouth, spitting it (for the caregiver it is not dangerous). Disinfect the wound with alcohol or iodine.

Immobilize the affected limb with a tire or bandage. Give the patient a copious drink (but not coffee). As soon as possible, take it to a medical facility.

What can not be done categorically

The consequences after the viper bite at all times frightened people so much that to get rid of their troubles they came up with a lot of completely useless procedures that not only can not alleviate the patient's condition, but can even do much harm. So remember that you should not do with a snake bite.

1. Do not apply a tourniquet at all! It is useless, and besides, the poison of the body is already destroying the poison, and if you add to this the tourniquet, which prevents blood circulation, you can achieve their necrosis in a few minutes. And after removing the tow, the breakdown products formed as a result of this will exacerbate the already existing poisoning.
2. Do not cauterize the bite! You add a burn to the already existing wound, and absolutely meaningless.
3. Do not cut the wound - it's useless, but the infection does not sleep.
4. Do not give the patient alcohol - this will help the poison spread through the body even faster.
5. Do not pour a wound on the ground, do not put cobwebs or grass on it - except for tetanus, you will not get anything from such procedures.