Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 43, Issue 2 , Pages 181-186, February 2004

Suction for venomous snakebite:☆

A study of “mock venom” extraction in a human model

  • Michael B Alberts, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, University Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, Fresno, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress for correspondence: Michael B. Alberts, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, University Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco-Fresno, 445 South Cedar Avenue, Fresno, CA 93702; 559-459-5105, fax 559-459-3844
    • ,
  • Marc Shalit, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, University Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, Fresno, USA
    • ,
  • Fred LoGalbo, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Radiology, Community Medical Center of Central California, Fresno, CA, USA

Received 7 March 2003; received in revised form 28 July 2003; accepted 4 August 2003.

Abstract 

Study objective

We determine the percentage of mock venom recovered by a suction device (Sawyer Extractor pump) in a simulated snakebite in human volunteers.

Methods

A mock venom (1 mL normal saline solution, 5.0 mg albumin, 2.5 mg aggregated albumin) radioactively labeled with 1 mCi of technetium was injected with a curved 16-gauge hypodermic needle 1 cm into the right lateral lower leg of 8 supine male volunteers aged 28 to 51 years. The Sawyer Extractor pump was applied after a 3-minute delay, and the blood removed by suction was collected after an additional 15 minutes. A 1991 Siemens Diacam was used to take measurements of the radioactive counts extracted and those remaining in the leg and body.

Results

The “envenomation load,” as measured by mean radioactivity in the leg after injection, was 89,895 counts/min. The mean radioactivity found in the blood extracted in the 15 minutes of suction was 38.5 counts/min (95% confidence interval [CI] −33 to 110 counts/min), representing 0.04% of the envenomation load. The postextraction leg count was less than the envenomation load by 1,832 counts/min (95% CI −3,863 to 200 counts/min), representing a 2.0% decrease in the total body venom load.

Conclusion

The Sawyer Extractor pump removed bloody fluid from our simulated snakebite wounds but removed virtually no mock venom, which suggests that suction is unlikely to be an effective treatment for reducing the total body venom burden after a venomous snakebite.

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☆ Author contributions: MBA conceived the study, design, and research. MS supervised the study, data collection, trials, and modification of the study. FL participated strictly as a radiologist to inject radioactive isotope and operate the Diacam scanner. MBA and MS maintained the data and quality control. MBA drafted the manuscript, and MS oversaw the revisions. MBA takes responsibility for the paper as a whole.Abstract presented at the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine annual meeting, San Francisco, CA, May 2000.The authors report this study did not receive any outside funding or support.Reprints not available from the authors.

PII: S0196-0644(03)00813-8

doi:10.1016/S0196-0644(03)00813-8

Refers to article:

  • Snakebite suction devices don't remove venom: They just suck

    Sean P Bush
    Annals of Emergency Medicine February 2004 (Vol. 43, Issue 2, Pages 187-188)

Annals of Emergency Medicine
Volume 43, Issue 2 , Pages 181-186, February 2004

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