On Mali vrh in the municipality of Žirovnica, a mountaineer was bitten by a blue heron around 4 p.m. Mountain rescuers from Radovlji provided first aid to the injured on the spot, and the helicopter with the on-duty team of the Brnik Mountain Rescue Service transported her to the University Clinical Center (UKC) Ljubljana, the Protection and Rescue Administration announced.
No further information is known about the injured.
In Slovenia last summer, for the first time in decades, a bite of a blue jay was treated with a fatal outcome. Head of the center for toxicology and pharmacology at UKC Ljubljana Miran Brvar then he explained that when bitten by a snake we usually feel pain, at the site of the bite we have two puncture wounds from which blood oozes, but the wound can be just one or several if the snake has bitten us several times.
The area where the bite occurred swells, severe pain appears, which then spreads up the body. Systemic signs of poisoning also appear, such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, difficulty breathing, sweating, lowering of blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances and loss of consciousness.
Even in the hills it’s warm enough for the wise, watch your step. PHOTO: Igor Modic
According to Brvar, everyone who is bitten by a snake does not need an antidote, as the snake can release only a small amount of venom and cause only local swelling. However, if the swelling spreads or systemic signs also occur, patients are given an antidote, usually within a few hours of the bite.
UKC recommends that people who are bitten by a snake take care of their own safety as soon as possible, i.e. do not try to drive away, photograph or hunt the snake, and then call 112 for help as quickly as possible and stay still. The wound should be cleaned, lightly bandaged, but a strong tourniquet over it is not recommended. It is also necessary to remove rings, bracelets and the like from the hand, as it can swell a lot.
In Slovenia, according to Brvar, we have enough antidote for the bite of a snake or viper, namely for about 20 bites. It is located in UKC Ljubljana and UKC Maribor.
