Don't suck that snakebite!

Heroes in cowboy movies got it all wrong. Using a homemade tourniquet, ice and a pair of lips to suck out snake venom can do more harm than good, snake bite experts say.

Toxicologist Dr. Barry Gold of the University of Maryland's School of Medicine and a colleague set out to correct the misconceptions in a paper published in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The researchers say the old-fashioned methods haven't been tested in control studies and could hurt victims of snake bites more than they could help.

Gold outlined the problems to CBC Radio's As It Happens:

• suctioning doesn't remove any appreciable amount of venom and may introduce bacteria from the mouth
• cutting over the fang puncture sites can damage nerves and blood vessels, which can lead to an infection
• applying a tourniquet can make the swelling worse
• using ice can cause problems in circulation

Instead, people should "take out your keys and take the patient or the victim to the hospital as soon as possible," Gold said.

Low mortality rate for snake bites

A study at the University of Arizona found the majority of victims in the United States could be transported to a medical facility within 30 to 90 minutes.

But Gold said victims have at least two or three hours to get to hospital, where they will receive emergency medical care and antivenin (also called anti-venom) if necessary.

If it could take longer than three hours, Gold recommends a constriction band at least one inch thick be applied. There should be room for at least two fingers underneath the band to prevent circulation from being cut off.

• IN DEPTH: Causes of Death

He added 25 per cent of snake bites aren't harmful. In so-called dry bites, the snake bites but does not inject any venom.

In the 19th century, the mortality rate from snake bites was anywhere from five to 25 per cent. Since the advent of antivenin in 1954, the mortality rate has dropped to less than half of one per cent.