Welcome to ETS! I would be delighted if Dr. Bush could join the forum and answer a few questions about his study. I do not know if the Extractor is or can be effective against snakebite, but I am sure that his study does not answer that question.
In the study, the Extractor was applied 3 minutes after envenomation and left in place for 30 minutes. However, the Extractor instructions clearly state:
2) Use the Extractor pump immediately. You can leave the pump on for up to 15 minutes. The first few minutes are the most important for venom removal.
The only valid conclusion to be made from the study is that the Extractor is not effective and can cause tissue damage if you delay treatment until it is too late and then apply it for twice the maximum recommended time.
I understand why a study might need to be limited to testing under only one set of parameters, but why did Dr. Bush choose such a gross misapplication of the instructions as his one and only data point?
I would dearly like to see the study repeated with a zero delay in order to determine if there is any possibility for the device to be effective. If significant positive results were seen, it would compel an additional study to determine the effectiveness after delays of, say, 15 seconds and longer. Oh, and the optimum application time should be determined, but based on the original study one could reasonably assume that removal three minutes post-envenomation, regardless of when it was applied, makes sense.
Thanks!
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