Human bites need immediate treatment

Immediate treatment is essential for people suffering a bite wound from some one, to avoid the risk of the wound becoming infected. Bite wounds mainly result from late-night alcohol-fuelled aggression. Such wounds should be treated like an infected surgical wound, by cleansing the area, removing infected tissue, and closing the wound as quickly as possible. But many victims fail to get recommended follow-up treatment, increasing the risk of permanent scarring and functional damage. To better understand the nature of these wounds and the way to manage them, researchers from St. James Hospital in Dublin examined the cases of all patients who had been referred to their plastic surgery unit for treatment of human bite injuries for a period of two years. During that period, the researchers treated 92 patients with 96 human bite wounds. Most of the patients were male (92%), and the victim had been drinking in 86 per cent of the cases. Seventy per cent of the bites occurred during the weekend or on a public holiday. Bites to the face accounted for 70 per cent of the injuries, with the ear being the site most commonly affected. Eighteen patients developed infections, and those who waited to go to the hospital for 12 hours or longer after the injury occurred were at the highest risk of infection. Upper limb injuries also were more likely to become infected than injuries to other parts of the body. After initial treatment, 47 per cent of the patients failed to return for follow-up visits. Just 14 per cent underwent surgery to heal the affected area, or planned to do so. The findings suggest that failing to deal with the bite wounds properly may result in potentially dangerous complications related to function, infection or appearance.