Paediatric dog bite injuries: a 10‐year retrospective cohort analysis from Sydney Children's Hospital

Abstract

Background Dog bite injuries are largely preventable yet present the most common animal related cause of hospitalisation. This study examines the demographics and clinical cost of patients with dog bite related injuries who presented to Sydney Children's Hospital (SCH) from 2010 to 2020. The results from our study will be used to raise awareness regarding the impact of dog bite injuries in our community. Methods Data was obtained from the SCH database using ICD‐10‐AM code W54.0, which captures all patients presenting to SCH with dog bite injuries from 2010 to 2020. A chart review was then performed to retrieve demographic data for analysis. Data analysis was performed using SAS® software version 9.4 and cost for each patient retrieved from the SCH clinical costing department. Results A total of 628 patients presented to SCH with dog bites during the study period. 273 (43.5%) patients received treatment in ED only with the remaining 355 (56.5%) patients admitted for treatment. The average age was 5.69 years old. There were 321 males (51.1%) and 307 females (48.9%). Facial and other head & neck injuries were most common (64.4%). Pitbull, Labrador and Rottweiler were the most commonly documented offending breeds (25%) with the family dog most likely to offend (49%). The mean clinical cost for per dog bite injury was $2968. Conclusion As part of the largest single centre study exploring dog bite injuries, we expect that this study will stimulate potential public health campaigns targeted at educating parents and children on interacting with dogs to minimise these injuries.

Spectrum of human Pasteurella species infections in tropical Australia

“…This was evident in the current study, with 61.9% receiving surgical debridement. Children are more likely to receive animal bites to the head and neck [ 8 , 9 ], due to patient size and behaviours of kissing and hugging dogs [ 9 ]. There were four dog bites to the face in this cohort, all of which required admission and surgical debridement.…”

“…infections are relatively uncommon, and are not generally notifiable in Australia. Published studies have focused on the more serious invasive infections [ 2 , 6 ] with appreciable mortality, or on dog bite presentations to the emergency department [ 4 , 7 – 9 ].…”

Vorsicht: bissig! Hundebissverletzungen in der klinischen Rechtsmedizin

“…Wegen ihrer geringen Körpergröße können sie in das Beuteschema von Hunden passen [7]. Größere, beißkräftige Hunderassen, wie Schäferhunde, Rottweiler oder Retriever -die regelmäßig die Beißstatistiken anführen -, verursachen überwiegend schwere Verletzungen an Kopf, Nacken und Hals von Kindern im Vorschulalter [3,7,23,24,27,32,36,37]. Ältere und größere Kinder werden eher in Arme, Hände und Beine gebissen [11,30].…”

Epidemiological profile of dog attacks to patients under 14 years old assisted at the pediatric referral emergency unit of a tertiary hospital in Campinas, Brazil

“…Male children in school age are the most affected group ( 3 , 5 , 12 – 15 ). Children under 5 years old are usually bitten on the head and neck, while the older ones have their upper and lower limbs mostly bitten ( 3 , 5 – 7 , 9 , 10 , 14 , 16 , 17 ). Most accidents with babies and pre-school children occur inside their homes, and with dogs that the child is familiar with, while adolescents are usually involved in accidents with dogs, they do not know ( 3 , 5 , 10 , 12 – 14 , 16 ).…”

“…Some dog breeds are more commonly involved in reports of attacks to human beings. Dogs of the breeds Pit Bull, Rottweiler, and German Shepherd, probably due to their specific characteristics such as strength and jaw shape, usually present more severe bites that require medical care and are frequently cited in studies ( 5 , 11 , 12 , 14 , 16 , 17 , 19 , 20 , 22 , 23 ). Curiously, dogs of the breeds Labrador, Golden Retriever, Border Collie, Jack Russel, and Shih-Tzu, despite being considered good pets for families with children, also present a high incidence of attacks with bites ( 5 , 11 , 14 , 16 , 17 , 22 ), but these injuries are usually less serious.…”