General measures
- Stop bleeding: press firmly on the wound with a clean handkerchief for at least 5 minutes or until bleeding stops.
- Cleaning the wound with clean water (if necessary a saline solution) or better with a disinfectant.
- In case of adder bite: keep the bite site as still as possible and transport the patient on a stretcher to the hospital. If no local reaction occurs within 30 minutes, there is no risk of severe symptomatology.If there is a dry bite, that is, no venom was injected during the bite (about 30% of cases), no local or systemic symptoms occur. In such cases, no further treatment is required.
- Presentation to a doctor!
- After wound care:
- In the occurrence of fever immediately inform the doctor!
- Nicotine restriction (refrain from tobacco consumption) – smoking impairs wound healing.
- Limited alcohol consumption (men: max. 25 g alcohol per day; women: max. 12 g alcohol per day).
- Avoidance of environmental pollution:
- Direct sunlight should not shine on the fresh scar. The UV rays will damage the scar tissue.
Vaccinations
The following vaccination may be required:
- Check tetanus protection – in case of no or insufficient vaccination protection or in case of doubt: simultaneous vaccination, active and passive (5-12 hours after injury).
- If necessary, rabies postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).
Regular checkups
- Daily medical wound check until there is a dry wound.
- In case of wound infection, take a bacterial sample (bacteriology) and hospitalization.
