This is a link to snakebite pics on the web
Snake Bite First Aid
If you or someone nearby is ever bitten by a rattlesnake, dial 911 immediately and then immobilize the affected extremity in a neutral position. (If it’s a bitten hand for example, use a loose Boy Scout style sling to support it across your chest.) Remove any constrictive jewelry and loosen tight clothing. First aid for shock may be needed and if you have antiseptic then use it on the puncture wounds. Keep exertion to a minimum! Remember that panic is your enemy, but so is dawdling. There are, on the average, about 6 hours until potentially life threatening symptoms begin; which is usually plenty of time to get help, but it’s no time to waste. If at all possible, let the EMS come to the rescue, and take note that it isn’t advisable for the victim to drive himself to the hospital.
The old days of pulling out the trusty snakebite kit are long gone…No more “cut and suck”! Likewise, do not apply tourniquets, constriction bands, compression bandages, splints, ice packs, or voltage (it sounds crazy, but people have done it!). Don’t drink alcohol either. It may be helpful to know which species of rattlesnake did the biting, but don’t get close to it, don’t try to kill it, and don’t bring it with you… The hospital staff doesn’t really need it and they probably won’t appreciate the gesture!
The newest protocols for snake envenomation treatment are more likely to be used at major hospitals, so after an initial observation period at a local facility, you should expect to be air transported to Tucson or Phoenix. (Providing of course that you have been envenomated; remember that in roughly one quarter of all rattlesnake bites no venom is injected, those are called “dry bites”.)
It used to be that antivenin could only be administered once in a lifetime due to its systemically antagonistic nature. But now, a new improved brand of antivenin, “Cro-fab”, is the medicine being used to treat snake bites. It causes far less allergic reaction than its predecessor, and can be administered for multiple snakebite occurrences throughout a person’s lifetime. Oh, just in case you’re wondering, the average hospital bill for snakebite treatment is about $60,000!
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Some words on snake bite by the renowned venom researcher Dr. Brian Fry:
With American snakes, it is
not as likely to go pear-shaped quickly like with Australian elapid bites. So
there is certainly an element of having the luxury of time.
In the Australian PI (pressure-immobilization) system of first aid, the
immobilization is as important as the pressure. Pressure for viper bites is
rather controversial. However immobilization is not. Put the arm in a sling or
bind a leg straight. Every movement moves the lymph around and this is what will
eventually allow the venom to reach the bloodstream via the lymph nodes.
Immobilization alone will greatly reduce the spread of venom. Bring transport to
the victim, the minute the victim starts walking then the venom accelerates in
its spread.
If it was an exotic viper envenomation that was likely to be catastrophic in a
relatively short period of time (e.g. Daboia, Echis) or one for which antivenom
might be difficult to track down locally (e.g. Bitis gabonica) then I'd be
slapping on a PI bandage. Life vs limb, its an easy choice.
All rings and constrictive clothing should be removed.