Latest Wilderness medical emergencies Stories
Warmer weather coaxes snakes out of hiding, and it’s important to know what to do after a snake bite, according to a medical toxicologist at Baylor College of Medicine. "Many people don’t realize how much of an issue snake bites are in this area of the country," said Dr. Spencer Greene, director of medical toxicology and assistant professor of medicine - emergency medicine at BCM. "In fact, our regional poison center reported 235 snake bites - including 148 from known venomous snakes -...
The powerful venom of the saw-scaled viper Echis carinatus contains both anticoagulants and coagulants finds a study published in the launch edition of BioMed Central's open access journal Journal of Venomous Animals and Toxins including Tropical Diseases (JVATiTD). These may be a source of potent drugs to treat human disease. The saw-scaled viper family Echis, responsible for most snake attacks on humans, are recognizable by the 'sizzling' noise they make, produced by rubbing together...
Half enquiries generated by UK's only native poisonous snake, the adder Snakebite injuries account for around two phone queries every week to the UK National Poisons Information Service, indicates an audit published online in Emergency Medicine Journal. Changes in data recording mean that these figures are probably an underestimate of the true numbers of snakebite injuries in the UK, suggest the authors. They audited telephone enquiries made to the Cardiff, Edinburgh, Birmingham and...
redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports - Your Universe Online The venom from one of the world’s most dangerous snakes contains a potent painkiller that works as well as morphine, but without the toxic side effects, French researchers reported on Wednesday. The deadly black mamba, which uses neurotoxins to paralyze and kill its prey, is one of the fastest and most lethal snakes in Africa. Its venom is among the fastest acting of any snake species, and a bite is lethal if not treated with...
Lee Rannals for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online Scientists are studying various plants native to Africa in an attempt to develop new, natural treatments for snakebites. Marianne Molander from the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences has been working with a Danish team to try and find a locally available herbal antidote for snake venom. “Snake venom antidotes are expensive, it’s often a long way to the nearest doctor and it can be difficult to...
