The Mistake That Kills Before the Hospital Does
A tourniquet tied above a snakebite does not trap venom at the wound. The lymphatic system, not the bloodstream, carries most snake venom in the first minutes after a bite. A tight band does nothing to lymphatic flow. What it does do is cut off arterial blood to the limb below it, concentrating whatever venom is already there, starving the tissue of oxygen, and setting up the conditions for amputation, before the person has even reached a hospital. A 2020 study published in The Lancet estimated that India accounts for nearly 1.2 million snakebite deaths over a 20-year period, more than any other country. The researchers found that delays caused by first-aid errors, including tourniquet application and traditional remedies, were a significant driver of preventable deaths.
