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#18231 - 08/09/03 04:54 PM Sawyer Extractor
AyersTG Offline
Veteran

Registered: 12/10/01
Posts: 1272
Loc: Upper Mississippi River Valley...
"New gear" (for me) report:

A couple days before heading out to CO I was on a minor errand at the local Wally World and spotted Sawyer kits for less than $12US, so bought one and tucked it in my day pack where I keep my FAK. What the heck; my Dad had been observing "high altitude" snakes all summer - where they are not normally found in his neck of the woods (he lives above 8,500 ft). Snakes never bother me but for some reason my Dad and my wife wig out over snakes... Fiddled with it briefly here (elev ~600 ft) to make see how it works.

Near the end of the trip was doing some touristy stuff at Mesa Verde and on the way up from the bottom at a site ran into a couple with a wasp-stung little girl. Whipped out the kit and was very impressed - worked like a champ; I could see the venom (and a little serous fluid) well up out of the puncture immediately, with immediate relief. Handed "mom" a Sting-Eze wipe and continued on my way.

Noticed that the Extractor does not draw as much vacuum at ~ 8,000 ft elev as at 600 ft - duh! But it was quite sufficient - I am impressed. It will remain in my kit.

We have rattlers and cottonmouths locally, and perhaps a rare errant copperhead (more likely 100 miles south of us, but still rare). I've rarely seen either. Spider bites, centipede bites, and stinging insects are common, however. I'm going to purchase a Sawyer for each adult in our Scout units and suggest the Patrol FAKs in the troop have one added.

FWIW, right next to the Sawyer kit at Wally World was the Cutter kit (shudder!).

Regards to all,

Tom


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#18232 - 08/09/03 06:37 PM Re: Sawyer Extractor
Chris Kavanaugh Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/09/01
Posts: 3824
These kits save more people from discomfort,injury and death from insect wounds annually than all the 'bearstoppers' ever will. There is a great deal of negative opinion on their efficacy with snakebites. Sawyer is actively seeking reports of use involving snake invenomation. My own DVMs assistant had the temerity to throw my unit in the trash. A well known DVM authority lectures that all suction efforts are ineffective. I used mine once on a horse with a lower leg bite to good effect( waiting for said DVM and assistant <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />) The use of constricting vetwrap may be as much help as the suction effort. I know this: Rapid access to full medical support is still #1. A Sawyer unit may, or may not help. It does honor the first aid maxim of "Do no harm" and helps focus people who would otherwise panic. I retrieved mine out of the trash. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

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