|
Frequently Asked Questions
|
| Prevention |
| What can an individual do to prevent cat or dog bites? |
| How should children be taught to lower their risk of a dog bite? |
| How can a dog owner lower the risk of their dog biting another individual? |
| Diagnosis |
| How often are dog, cat, or human bites complicated by infection? |
| What characteristics of a mammalian bite wound increase the risk of infection? |
| What factors increase a patient's risk of severe complications from a bite wound infection? |
| When should cultures be obtained from a bite wound? |
| What radiographic studies should be obtained for mammalian bite wounds? |
| Consultation for Diagnosis |
| Should a surgeon evaluate a bite wound to identify depth of penetration? |
| Hospitalization |
| Are there clinical features of mammalian bite wounds that warrant hospitalization? |
| What characteristics of a bite wound victim should prompt initial hospitalization? |
| Should all patients with human hand bite wounds be hospitalized? |
| Non-drug Therapy |
| How should a bite wound be managed initially to decrease the risk of infection? |
| When can a bite wound be safely closed primarily, and when is it better to allow it to heal by secondary intention? |
| What characteristics make a dog or cat bite more likely to involve rabies exposure? |
| When and how should postexposure rabies prophylaxis be adminstered? |
| Who should receive tetanus prophylaxis following a mammalian bite? |
| Drug Therapy |
| In what mammalian bite wounds is antibiotic prophylaxis warranted? |
| What are the most common bacteria involved in dog, cat, and human bite infections? |
| How is antibiotic therapy of bite wounds different from antibiotic treatment of other soft tissue infections? |
| What are the appropriate antibiotics to effectively treat infected dog, cat, or human bites? |
| Which antibiotics should be avoided in infected dog, cat, or human bites? |
| When should HBIG be administered to human bite victims? |
| Can HIV be transmitted by a human bite? |
| Patient Education |
| How should a patient be advised to appropriately manage a bite wound? |
| What signs or symptoms should a patient be advised to seek reevaluation for? |
| How can a patient prevent future dog or cat bites? |
| Consultation for Management |
| Should a hand surgeon be consulted to manage mammalian hand bites? |
| Which bite wounds should be managed by surgical subspecialists? |
| When should human bite wounds be considered a possible sign of child or spousal abuse? |
| Follow-up |
| How soon after discharge should a patient be seen for reevaluation of a bite wound? |
| How should a patient be managed for whom outpatient management of a bite wound has failed? |
| When should physical therapy be started for victims of extremity bite wounds? |
Mammalian Bites
