Epidemiology and Reconstruction Options of Dog Bite Injuries

Abstract

ÖZAmaç: Bu çalışmada yedi yıllık süreçte Ankara Numune Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi Plastik Cerrahi Kliniği'ne köpek ısırığı nedeniyle başvuran ve danışılan hastaların değerlendirilerek, uygun tedavi yöntemlerinin ortaya konulması amaçlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: 2002-2013 yılları arasında acil servis ve polikliniğe başvuran toplam 84 Hasta çalışmaya dahil edildi. Olgular demografik özellikler, çevre faktörleri, mevsimsel faktörler, yaralanan anatomik bölge, yaralanma karakteristiği ve klinik seyir açısından değerlendirildi. Verilerin biyoistatistiksel değerlendirmesi evren oranı önemlilik testi ve tek örneklemli ki-kare testi yöntemiyle yapıldı. Material and Methods:A total of 84 patients evaluated at either the Emergency Department or our clinic were included. All cases were assessed for their demographic variables, environmental and seasonal factors, anatomic region of the wound, characteristics of the injury, and prognosis of the patient. Statistical tests were performed comparing universal ratios and applying chi-square tests. Results: 84 patients' wounds were classified into anatomic regions as 48.8% upper extremity, 19.0% lower extremity, 16.6% head and neck region, 10.8% body, 4.8% multiple site injuries. 55 patients (65.4%) were male. 23 patients lived in rural areas (27.4%), compared to 61 living in urban areas (72.6%). 63 injuries (75%) were caused by pets, but only 21 (25%) were related to stray dogs. 77 of the 84 injuries (91.6%) were isolated to connective tissue, compared to 5 injuries (6%) with tendon damage and 2 injuries (2.4%) with nerve and vessel damage. Conclusion: As the number of pet dogs increase, dog bite injuries are becoming more commonplace all around the world. The face and extremities are the most common injury sites. Management of these injuries by a plastic surgeon is of utmost importance to achieve better cosmetic and functional results.

Medical and legal evaluation of injuries due to dog bites: a Türkiye study

“…[ 4 , 5 , 7 ] In some studies in the literature, it has been stated that injuries are often caused by owned dogs. [ 23 , 28 ] In our study, in contrast with other studies in the literature, 65.8% (n=98) of the cases were attacked by stray dogs, which is thought to be due to the higher population of stray dogs in Türkiye. Although there is no similar study in the literature, we found that 86.6% of the dog attacks were carried out by a single dog in our study.…”

“…In a study conducted in Türkiye, it is stated that injuries are high in rural areas,[ 24 ] while in another study it is stated that injuries are high in the city center. [ 23 ] In our study, we found that 56.4% of the injuries were in the city center. It is stated that the number of dogs in some big cities in Türkiye even exceeds the population of some districts.…”

“…It is reported that lesions are mostly superficial not requiring any sutures or surgical interventions, which are treated with local injury care with simple medical treatment. [ 21 , 23 , 29 ] In our study, we found that superficial injuries were common at a rate of 54.4% and simple medical treatment (localized wound care) was applied to 62.5% of our cases.…”

“…[ 2 , 21 , 30 , 31 ] Facial wounds may cause serious problems, either physical or psychological, and facial deformities. [ 2 , 23 , 24 ] The face area is the first area of the body that stands out as a window in the person’s communication with the outside world. Therefore, permanent scars on the face cause serious psychological problems.…”

“…In some studies, it is stated that it is more common in children (under 18 years of age), [22] while other studies report that adults over the age of 18 were injured the most. [21][22][23] Although some studies report that dog bite injuries were mostly seen among the male population, [23,24] some studies report these kinds of injuries were mostly observed among the female population. [21] In our study, as in correlation with what mainly the literature reported; the cases were 57% males, and 69.1% of the cases were in the adult group.…”