It is close to the ultimate camping nightmare. You are out in the bush in really remote country when an unseen, unidentified snake suddenly strikes and bites you on your ankle.
And that’s exactly what happened to five-year-old Emma Kiley at an isolated camping ground near Mudgee in New South Wales with no mobile phone coverage and no way of contacting emergency services.
While many travellers may have gone into panic mode, luckily for Emma, her father is an experienced flight nurse with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), based in Dubbo.
“It is one thing to know the information, to be a professional, but when the patient is your own child, then it is different,” Brendan Kiley told the ABC. “I had a very good first aid kit, and I obviously had the skill set, but we didn’t have telephone reception and we couldn’t summon help.”
Mr Kiley said the most important thing was to keep his patient calm and still, and he then firmly bandaged her leg, first from the bite wound down to the toes, then back up the leg to her thigh. This was to stop any venom that might be present from spreading through the lymphatic system.
The ABC reports that the next step was to put a splint on the leg to keep it immobilised, to minimise the spread of venom, and then to get her to the nearest medical care as quickly and safely as possible.
Having decided that removing the tent from the side of the family car would have taken up valuable time, Mr Kiley borrowed his friend’s car for the trip to the local emergency ward … and he did everything as efficiently, calmly and safely as possible.
Emma was admitted to Mudgee Hospital for observation, and was eventually discharged when it was clear she would have no adverse outcomes.
“It really brought it home to me just how frightening it can be when you have to cope with a snakebite, especially when you are isolated,” Mr Kiley told the ABC. “I am lucky that I have the training and experience that I have, and I am just so glad that I had a comprehensive first aid kit in our car.”
Go Dad!
Panic is natural you did well dad. Yes we carry a snake bite kit and comprehensive first aid kit.