A 62-year-old woman in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province lost one of her fingers after being bitten by a venomous five-paced viper, with doctors saying an incorrect home remedy significantly worsened her injuries.
The woman, identified only by her surname Hu, was weeding a field in Ningbo when she was bitten on her left middle and ring fingers.
In a panic, her family followed a traditional remedy by cutting open the bite wounds with a blade to “drain the venom.”
However, doctors said the venom from the five-paced viper had already severely damaged her blood-clotting ability, causing the wounds to bleed uncontrollably.
Within just 30 minutes, the back of her hand had swollen to twice its normal size.
She was rushed to hospital, where examinations revealed severe blood-clotting failure and an extremely low platelet count.
Medical staff immediately administered a sufficient dose of anti-venom, along with treatment to control bleeding, prevent infection and replenish fluids, successfully saving her life.
Despite the emergency treatment, her left middle finger had already suffered irreversible tissue damage and had to be amputated.
Her ring finger also remains in serious condition and is still being closely monitored while undergoing ongoing wound treatment.
Doctors warned that victims bitten by venomous snakes such as the five-paced viper or green pit viper should never cut open the wound to remove venom.
According to medical experts, the venom attacks the body’s circulatory system and destroys its ability to clot blood. Cutting the wound can trigger severe bleeding, worsen tissue damage, increase the risk of infection and, in severe cases, become life-threatening.
Doctors added that many serious snakebite complications and amputations are caused not by the bite itself, but by unsafe traditional first-aid methods.
They advised the public to avoid common myths, including cutting the wound, sucking out venom by mouth, applying herbs or mud, tightly tying the affected limb, burning or rubbing the wound with alcohol, drinking alcohol or delaying medical treatment.
Instead, victims should remain as calm and still as possible and seek immediate medical attention so that anti-venom treatment can be administered as quickly as possible.
