First Aid Rules for Hornet Bites

It can be said that the hornet bite is one of the most dangerous among all domestic stinging insects. And in the exotic tropical countries, the picture is not very different: the local hornet and here belongs to the palm in death bites.

Immediately after the hornet was stung, the victim experiences, first of all, severe pain, then extensive edema develops very quickly. In addition, for many people, a hornet bite (if qualified first aid does not arrive in time) can result in the development of a severe allergic reaction, sometimes resulting in anaphylactic shock and even death.

On a note

In Japan, about 40 people die from bites of hornets every year. This is more than the number of dead as a result of the attack of any other kind of wild animals. A similar situation is observed in some provinces of China.According to doctors, the main causes of death due to a bite of a hornet are choking from laryngeal edema and renal failure.

Indeed, in some rare cases, a hornet bite can be fatal to humans. And this is relevant not only for large tropical species of these insects, but also for ordinary European ones. That is why, if at the summer cottage or during a picnic in nature someone has bitten a hornet, first aid should be provided without fail, and as soon as possible.

 

First steps: do not let the poison spread under the skin

So, let's look at what first aid should consist of and how to provide it to the victim.

First of all, after a hornet bite, you can try to suck at least some amount of poison from the wound, but this should be done for no more than 1 minute, since the skin in the bite site is very quickly drawn in, but there is simply no extra minute during the help. Next, you need as soon as possible to apply to the affected area a cold compress, which will reduce the rate of spread of the poison, as well as the rate of development of tissue edema.

When providing first aid for the bite of a hornet, one important factor should be taken into account: this insect, unlike a bee, never leaves its sting in the skin.Therefore, it is not necessary to look for him and, especially, to try to squeeze him out of the wound.

In addition, it is not recommended to comb the bite site, rub it or put pressure on the wound - all these actions will only lead to the stimulation of blood circulation and, as a result, more rapid spread of the poison through the tissues.

In the ideal case, first aid after a hornet bite should be provided in the following order:

• maximum toxic content is sucked from the wound;
• the bite is treated with alcohol, a solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide for disinfection;
• then wet sugar is applied to the affected area, which is covered on top with a cold towel or a compress with ice.

Sugar is needed in order to further ottyat themselves of the poison, located near the surface of the skin at the site of the bite. After 5-10 minutes, when it performs its function, it can be replaced with a swab moistened with vinegar or citric acid.

Since the hornet's poison has an alkaline environment, the acid that gets into the wound partially neutralizes it. If you don’t have the indicated tools on hand, you can attach a piece of an apple, a slice of onion or garlic, or a leaf of plantain to the site of a hornet bite.

Feedback

“I was so used to bees in my father’s childhood in the apiary that when I hornet bitten, did not even bother. Well, swollen, well, okay. Then he felt that my eyes were closing, he began to call his wife, and she was in the house, she did not immediately hear. The eyelids swelled up so that I didn’t see anything; I felt a nauseous beginning. It became so scary that I crawled out of the garden on all fours. I did not crawl to the house, I lost consciousness. He came to himself already in the hospital, under a drip. The doctors said that I had anaphylaxis, and it was very fast. Maybe from the bites of bees, she developed. A week later, I was discharged from the hospital, given an allergic passport, they said that if someone else ever stung me, you should immediately call an ambulance, otherwise you may not have time to get to the hospital. ”

Artem, Ivanovo

When giving first aid to a person who has suffered from a bite of a hornet, it is necessary, if possible, to give him some antihistamine medication to drink: diphenhydramine, suprastin, or any similar. These drugs are necessary to suppress the allergic reaction or to weaken its manifestation in the future.

All subsequent care and treatment after the hornet bite is determined by the severity of allergy symptoms.

 

Fight the first symptoms

If, in addition to edema, itching and local pain, no other disorders are observed in the victim,then treatment for a hornet bite may be minimal - these symptoms will go away by themselves, even without help, in a few days. In most cases it is enough to use, for example, insect bite ointment.

However, there are a number of signs of the development of a generalized allergic reaction, which require early medical intervention:

• heat;
• heart palpitations;
• labored breathing;
• extensive swelling;
• headaches;
• severe nausea;
• preservation of the tumor at the site of the bite for more than three days.

With the appearance of at least one of these symptoms, it is necessary to urgently take appropriate measures, because the hornet bite is fatal precisely because of an allergic reaction to it. In this case, it is necessary to call an ambulance or independently take the victim to the hospital.

If the delivery of a person to a hospital requires a long time, the victim of a hornet bite must be given glucocorticoid or antihistamine drugs that will have a local anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect. In addition to the mentioned Suprastin and Dimedrol, these may be the following drugs:

• Prednisolone;
• Hydrocortisone;
• Dexamethasone;
• Loratadine.

These drugs block the further development of an allergic reaction and, thus, do not allow the most severe symptoms to appear.

However, it must be remembered that all such drugs can cause serious side effects, so they should be used only when absolutely necessary, just as emergency first aid.

 

If the symptoms of an allergic reaction do not increase ...

If the person affected by the bite of the hornet is “lucky,” and of all the possible symptoms there is only pain, then special balms and ointments exist to help him. Here are examples of some of them:

• Fenistil gel;
• Balm Insectline;
• Gardex Family;
• Soventol;
• Gel-balm Moskitol;
• Balsam Picnic Family.

Another symptom that can be dealt with on its own, without expert help, is an increase in body temperature - but not strictly above 38 ° C. If the temperature does not rise, you do not need to shoot it down.

Also, the victim may experience nausea. To alleviate this condition, one should not eat for some time, but drinking plenty of it will definitely help.In this situation, you need to consume as much liquid as possible, preferably warm tea.

 

What to do with severe allergies?

If the development of edema continues, bruises appear at the site of the bite or on other parts of the body, and the victim feels worse, it is necessary to take him to the hospital as soon as possible. It should be borne in mind that such states, which at first do not look very disturbing, are potentially fraught with death.

To transport a person with a strong allergic edema is possible only in the supine position. At the same time, the head should be slightly lowered relative to the body: it cannot be raised due to the risk of excessive blood outflow (with subsequent loss of consciousness).

If you go far to the hospital, and emergency care is needed, as they say, here and now, you can call the Ambulance and, having described the situation and the symptoms, ask the doctors to instruct you by phone.

In severe cases, the victim of a bite to prevent swelling of the bronchi and larynx usually make an injection of 0.2 ml of 0.1% solution of epinephrine. Euphyllinum can also be used to increase the airway.

In case of severe urticaria and angioedema, up to 0.5 ml of 0.1% adrenaline solution may be additionally introduced into the site of the bite, and 0.3 ml of 0.15% solution of the same preparation - in the opposite part of the body. With the development of anaphylactic shock, this procedure is repeated.

In the most critical cases, when the victim of a bite of a hornet is not yet in hospital, but breathing becomes almost impossible due to edema, the ligament between the cricoid and thyroid cartilage in the larynx is cut or punctured with a thick needle, and a hollow tube is inserted into the hole that allows the victim to breathe . No matter how scary it is, such actions in an emergency situation are vital - without them, a hornet bite can become truly fatal.

 

What exactly can not be done

To provide quality first aid it is worth remembering some important limitations.

First, it is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol when a hornet is bitten: this will only cause a further increase in edema.

Secondly, it is impossible to use Diprazin as an antihistamine - this drug causes the body’s own immune response.

And the main thing is that in no case you should wave your hand to all the symptoms and make a reservation that this is just a wasp. It is these fans who rely on "maybe" to pull (and sometimes not) from the next world resuscitators.

Therefore, if the hornet has bitten you or someone close to you, be extremely attentive to all the consequences and just in case, make sure that you have a phone nearby, so that if necessary, call the Ambulance.

 

Useful video about the danger of bites of wasps and hornets for a man

 

Symptoms of insect sting allergy and first aid rules