Snakebites kill an estimated 100,000 people worldwide each year. But a new treatment could slow down venom’s effects long enough for a person to get life-saving medicine.
Many snake venoms interfere with blood’s ability to clot, or form clumps, to stop bleeding. That can lead to serious blood loss in snakebite victims. An experimental new treatment uses iron (Fe) and carbon monoxide (CO) to block this effect. People could carry a patch and apply it to a bite immediately.
The treatment doesn’t replace antivenom, which is a medicine that counteracts snakebites, says Vance Nielsen, a physician who helped develop the new approach. “The idea is to buy time before you get to the emergency room,” he says.