# Student died after being bitten by snake



## Fuscus (Dec 14, 2011)

I don't want to make light of this but notice the huge number of idiotic mistakes made by the institution. Perhaps the most telling is


> His girlfriend Laura Woolley, who was 23 at the time, remained by his side and watched helplessly as the venom killed him


This indicates both a lack of training and an absence of emergency first aid procedures.
Student died after being bitten by snake - Telegraph


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## Timmy-Morelia (Dec 14, 2011)

stupid no anti venom you are gunna die from a mamba bite its
that simple


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## Snake Catcher Victoria (Dec 14, 2011)

wow, thats tragic, so quick to.


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## snakes123 (Dec 14, 2011)

why..a place like that with no antivemon.


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## -Peter (Dec 14, 2011)

He needed life support as much as the antivenom.


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## xycom (Dec 14, 2011)

Safety costs money! I see it all the time at work as an electrician


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## longqi (Dec 14, 2011)

-Peter said:


> He needed life support as much as the antivenom.


^^^
Exactly right
First thing that happens is mamba venom attacks the cardio vascular system ie heart and the lungs so you die from shock and lack of oxygen rather than the venom
Simply applying Oxygen and CPR would probably have saved this guy until anti venine arrived and was administered if needed


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## mmafan555 (Jan 1, 2012)

You don't even need anti venom for most purely neurotoxic bite...Just get him on a ventillator and wait out the effects of the venom...It's only a problem when the neurotoxic snakes have other components to there venom( like the tissue damage from a cobra bite or the blood problems associated with a taipan bite)

Mamba and Krait bites can be treated with a simple ventilator...Cobra bite can be to but are much more complicated because they cause horrible necrosis aswell( like a rattlesnake bite) and the taipan is also complicated because your blood doesn't clot....

I don't think just plain cpr is enough through....Especially for a snake like a Krait where your diaphragm is typically paralyzed for 10's of hours( sometimes days and on very rare occasions weeks) The length of paralysis is way to long for someone to just Cpr you the whole time...You need a powered machine.

Antivenom works great if administered quick but it is not necessary like it is for a bad viper bite and its not always available....since neurotoxic bites kill by paralyzing the diaphragm just get the guy on an assisted breathing machine and he will likely survive most bites.

I feel really bad for the guy and his family...It's always very tragic when someone who has a genuine passion for reptiles/wildlife is killed by one...very unfair and sad... Rip


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## pazuzu666 (Apr 17, 2012)

mmafan555 said:


> You don't even need anti venom for most purely neurotoxic bite...Just get him on a ventillator and wait out the effects of the venom...It's only a problem when the neurotoxic snakes have other components to there venom( like the tissue damage from a cobra bite or the blood problems associated with a taipan bite)
> 
> Mamba and Krait bites can be treated with a simple ventilator...Cobra bite can be to but are much more complicated because they cause horrible necrosis aswell( like a rattlesnake bite) and the taipan is also complicated because your blood doesn't clot....
> 
> ...


According to DR. Davidson's clinical studies, although uncommon, acute renal failure has been reported in black mamba bites. A respirator may do the trick but antivenom is the best method incase renal complications should manifest.


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## baxtor (Apr 17, 2012)

mmafan555 said:


> You don't even need anti venom for most purely neurotoxic bite...Just get him on a ventillator and wait out the effects of the venom...It's only a problem when the neurotoxic snakes have other components to there venom( like the tissue damage from a cobra bite or the blood problems associated with a taipan bite)
> 
> Mamba and Krait bites can be treated with a simple ventilator...Cobra bite can be to but are much more complicated because they cause horrible necrosis aswell( like a rattlesnake bite) and the taipan is also complicated because your blood doesn't clot....
> 
> ...



How many snakes fall into the category of "purely neurotoxic bites" Most have more than one string to their bow.


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## longqi (Apr 18, 2012)

Although many venoms are different CPR and Oxygen are vital to help when the cardio starts shutting down
Anti venine may help but often is too far away in poorer countries

Shock can also be a potential killer with some people going into hyperventilation etc even from python bites

They say dont bandage a cobra bite
But compression bandage may slow the venom getting to the important bits
Much better to be alive and worry about the possible necrosis later than to die 

Kraits are very tricky
Blue Banded Krait may show zero signs of anything for 8/12 hours
Then the entire system simply shuts down
But Oxygen life support and CPR are the mainstay of any krait bite treatment
Usually Eastern Tiger Snake anti Venine works best for Kraits


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## pazuzu666 (Apr 18, 2012)

This goes to show you don't let someone without expirenece handle black mambas or any other venomous snake especially without antivenom or a snake bite protocal. This poor guy thought he was just brushed by the mamba and didn't think he was bitten/envenomated. By the time he started feeling symptoms, I think they said less than an hour, he colaspsed and his heart stopped.


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