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GAINESVILLE, Fla. 鈥� The best way to avoid getting bitten by a venomous snake is to not go looking for one in the first place.

Like eating well and exercising to feel better, the avoidance approach is fully backed by science. A new from University of Florida Health researchers analyzed 20 years of snakebites cases seen at BOB体育 Shands Hospital in Gainesville.

鈥淭his is the first time we鈥檝e evaluated two decades of venomous snakebites here,鈥� said senior author and assistant professor of medicine .

Researchers analyzed 546 de-identified patient records from 2002 to 2022 and highlighted notable conclusions 鈥� for instance, that a third of the snakebites analyzed were preventable and caused by people intentionally engaging with wild snakes.

鈥淭ypically, people鈥檚 experiences with getting bitten are due to an interaction that was inadvertent 鈥� they stumble upon a snake or reach for something without seeing one camouflaged,鈥� Beatty said. 鈥淚n this case, people were seeking them out. There were a few individuals who were bitten on more than one occasion.鈥�

Most (77.8%) of the snakebites occurred in adult men while they were handling wild snakes, and most of the bites were perpetrated by the diminutive pygmy rattlesnake and the cottonmouth. The latter is named for the white lining of its mouth, which it displays when threatened.

鈥淚 was less surprised to see those species emerge as some of the most common ones people were bitten by, but the robust presence of other, less common species in the data 鈥� like the eastern coral snake, southern copperhead, timber rattlesnake and the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, was interesting,鈥� Beatty said.

The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is one of the most venomous snakes in North America.

Most patients were bitten on their hands and fingers and around 10% of them attempted outdated self-treatments no longer recommended by doctors 鈥� like sucking out the venom.

Initially, the study began as a medical student research project, thanks to a handful of medical students who worked with Beatty to review the cases. The intention was to dive deep into the circumstances of each encounter and learn more about the treatment given, as well as the outcomes.

Fourth-year medical student River Grace, the paper鈥檚 first author, said the work struck a personal note.

鈥淢y dad is a reptile biologist, so I鈥檝e grown up around snakes my whole life,鈥� Grace said. 鈥淗e was bitten by a venomous snake many years ago and ended up hospitalized for multiple weeks, so it was interesting to keep that experience in mind while going over the data.鈥�

Grace noted that it typically took those bitten over an hour on average to travel from where the bite occurred to the hospital.

鈥淚t seems like the reason for that was people not knowing exactly what to do once they鈥檇 been bitten, or underestimating the severity of the bite,鈥� he said. 鈥淪ome would just sit at home for hours.鈥�

Floridians share their home with a variety of scaly neighbors who don鈥檛 always welcome visitors 鈥� accidental or not. Ultimately, thanks to the timely care of providers, only three snake bites were fatal. However, antivenom is no panacea. Those who are lucky enough to receive it in time can still incur complications from the original snake bites, like tissue damage, or even a fatal allergic reaction to the antivenom itself.

Consequently, researchers look toward improving the processes used to triage snake bites in the emergency room, ensuring that providers are equipped with the knowledge and the know-how to shorten time to treatment.

鈥淚n the future, we think we鈥檇 love to get involved in enhancing provider education so everyone in the health care setting is confident in being able to identify and administer antivenom as quickly and safely as possible,鈥� Grace said.