Are there any studies that suggest suctioning out snake venom is effective treatment for bites? I thought this was an old fashioned, useless remedy like putting butter on burns or using leeches to cure the flu.
But I was looking around Wal-Mart and was suprised to see how many Snake-Bit kits they had. All of them had suction devices and some even had razor blades. WTF?! Is Wal-Mart crazy? Are there still people who think you should cut into a snake bite and start sucking out poison? Is any reputable agency still recommending this? Isn’t Wal-Mart a little careless for selling surgical instruments like scalpel blades to Johnny Knownothing?
I was so curious that I went searching around the internet for Snakebite first aid. Though all of them (thank god) discourage the act of cutting into a wound, some still suggest the suctioning method. Others claim–as I’ve been taught–that suctioning does nothing but waste time and may promote more bloodflow to the area. Are there any studies that suggest it’s a good idea?
And if no one thinks that cutting into bites is a good idea, why would Wal-Mart sell little kits with razor blades in them???
Shhhhhh! I thought we were thinning out the herd!
Opstay etting-lay the ecrets-ay out-ay!
Emergency first aid that involves cutting, sucking, chilling and all that stuff seems to have been found to do more harm than good.
[punchline]“Doctor says you’re gonna die!”[/punchline] 
I don’t know if Australian snakes are different than other snakes, but suggested first aid for snake bite over here is, apart from identifying the snake, if possible: applying a firm, pressure bandage at the site of the bite and above and below (if possible); if the bite is other than on a limb, applying firm, local pressure, immobilizing the area; keeping the victim calm and still and getting them to treatment as soon as possible.
My understanding is that snake venom spreads through the lymph system rather than the blood stream, so suctioning and other methods are likely to make things worse.
People would be better off buying multiple rolls of bandages and keeping one in any area where they are likely to encounter a snake, so that if they are alone and happen to get bitten, they can begin the first aid process.
Oh, and thanks to Firefox 2.0 this post was brought to you without spelling mistakes!
"Suck Out De Poison"