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A Retrospective Review of Pediatric Dog Bite Injuries Presenting to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Emergency Department
Sarah Evans, MD; Binh Nguyen, MD; Ann Schwentker, MD; Brian Pan, MD
University of Cincinnati
2015-03-14
Presenter: Binh Nguyen
Affidavit:
The work on this project is the original work of the two resident authors, Binh Nguyen and Sarah Evans. These two residents equally designed the project, acquired and interpreted the data, and drafted the abstract.
Director Name: John Kitzmiller
Author Category: Resident Plastic Surgery
Presentation Category: Clinical
Abstract Category: General Reconstruction
Background : Over four million Americans are victims of dog bites each year, nearly half of which are children. The aim of this study is to characterize the nature and pattern of dog bite injuries evaluated in the emergency department at a large tertiary care children's hospital over a 4 year period.
Methods: The records of all patients presenting to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Emergency Department for dog bite injuries between January 1, 2010 and September 20, 2014 were reviewed. Demographic data and details pertaining to the dog bite injury and treatment were recorded.
Results: Three-hundred fifty-one patients were evaluated in a Cincinnati Children's Hospital Emergency Department for a dog bite injury over the 4.7 year study period. The average age of the dog bite victims was 7.7 years. Fifty-five percent were male and 45% were female. We will further analyze the data to identify trends in dog breeds involved in the attacks, anatomic location of the injuries, need for specialty consultation in management of the wounds, whether local wound care or suture repair were needed, need for operation or hospital admission, and length of hospital stay.
Conclusions: Dog bites remain a significant cause of morbidity, and occasionally mortality, in the pediatric population. Through a thorough characterization of the nature and pattern of dog bite injuries evaluated at a large tertiary care children's hospital, this study aims to provide knowledge that may be useful for community education and dog bite prevention strategies.
