Greetings - thanks for the great post. I'm not an expert on the issue and have no personal experience treating venomous bites, but I've done some personal research on the matter and about the Sawyer Extractor.

The Sawyer Extractor efficacy has been much debated ever since the Wilderness Medical Society released an equipment/treatment update to its members a few years ago. The WMS reported on a medical/scientific study they funded which was designed to test the effectiveness of the Sawyer Extractor on snake bite envenomation. As a result of the studies findings, the WMS advised against the use of the Sawyer Extractor for venomous snake bites, although the WMS did previously endorse the product.

Some scientfic/medical papers have been published that declare the Sawyer pump ineffective: "Suction for venomous snakebite A study of “mock venom” extraction in a human model." Annals of Emergency Medicine, Volume 43, Issue 2, Pages 181-186, M. Alberts concludes; "The Sawyer Extractor pump removed bloody fluid from our simulated snakebite wounds but removed virtually no mock venom, which suggests that suction is unlikely to be an effective treatment for reducing the total body venom burden after a venomous snakebite."

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WB0-4BGH766-M&_user=10&_coverDate=02%2F29%2F2004&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=5056b65943bd717615bb6786d328be58

http://www.annemergmed.com/article/PIIS0196064403008138/abstract

Unfortunately, Sawyer does not seem to provide any scientific evidence for their snake-bite kit's effectiveness claims: http://www.sawyeronline.com/ Surely a medical emergency device manufacturer should be able to provide some scientific validity to such claims.

An older study exists that did site very postitive results, but its claims were also found to be controversial among some members of the medical community: https://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/328/7/516?ck=nck

I was inspired to research this subject last year after I watched a Science Education TV program in which they demonstrated the ineffectiveness of the Sawyer using real snakes and dead pigs(I can't find the video or information on the show anywhere - I believe it was a goofy titlelike "Mr. Science"...). The host and attending lab techs demonstrated that the Sawyer Extractor did not remove much if any fluid or venom from the wound site. It was not a very sophisticated test, but it did seem realistic enough to suggest that the Sawyer Extractor was not effective, as they declared at their experiment's end.

The suggestion has been made that even a small two percent reduction in venom may do some good, and also that some envenomation sites will repond differently to treatment with the device - for instance, a pocket or blister of subcutaneous venom may exist and be more treatable, insect bite/sting toxins may be more treatable due to their proximity to the surface of the skin, etc...

As the Sawyer doesn't seriously damage the envenomation site, I for one would give it a try...the WMS study doesn't claim that any additional harm was done with the Sawyer (nothing life threatening, at least), and it didn't provide test results against insect or spider bites either... The device is small enough to suggest that it is a good addition to a personal medical kit.

The fatality rate for venomous snake bites in the US is extremely low (most estimates I recall are way under 1%), so it is unlikely you will die even if bitten in a remote area. Many bites do not even require antivenom treatment.

Thanks in advance for any additional information or clarity about this issue - Again, please note that I am not a medical expert or affiliated with Sawyer or any other organization related to the independent studies presented.