RAUK - Archived Forum - Posts by dpulman:

I am a First Aid Training Manager with 30 years experience in pre-hospital carte, including a short spell with the Ambulance Service.  I treated what I believe to be my first adder bite victim yesterday.

A lady member of staff was sitting at the side of a lake near a nature reserve, and brushed her hand through the grrass when she thought she had hit a sharp stone.  Initially there was a localised swelling, but very little pain and she was a little flushed although otherwise seemed quite well. She did not present herself to us at the medical unit until 24 hours later when the swelling had diminished a little but covered a wider area. She presented with a slight swelling over the back of her hand with two 'D' shaped puncture wounds about 12mm apart and symetric.  Both puncture wounds were identical.  Although she otherwise had no symptoms, there was a little clear fluid issuing from the two punctures.  The wound was cleaned and dressed as it was 24 hours old and no symptoms were present nor any signs of infection, she was discharged with advice to consult GP or A&E if symptoms or signs of infection appeared.

I suspect that the snake was basking in the sun when she accidentally disturbed it - in view of the lack of any real symptoms, is it possible that the snake did not inject any venom?  Presumably, it struck out of fright before escaping.  Or is it possible that it was a grass snake?  I don't know if they bite - can anyone tell me?

The area is well known to have a large adder population and they have often been seen in the area where she was sitting.

Thanks Lee, for your most helpful reply.

Every new experience is a bonus, without having seen a real snake bite before, there was that element of doubt in my mind, especially as she was asymtomatic.  Your explanation makes me think, along with the history, that this was almost certainly an adder bite. It also will help me to give more reassurance to our staff that they have little to fear, despite the liklihood of more adder sightings during the current hot spell and increased likelihood of young adders being present.

Regards

Hi Alix,

Sorry, but the Swanwick this refers to is on the South Coast near Southampton.  Maybe the Delamere forest near you might be a good hunting place?  Just a guess though I am no expert!