Premium
Treating mammalian bite wounds
Author(s) -
Patrick F. Smith,
Amy Meadowcroft,
D. B. May
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.622
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1365-2710
pISSN - 0269-4727
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2710.2000.00274.x
Subject(s) - medicine , disfigurement , intensive care medicine , incidence (geometry) , dismemberment , antibiotics , regimen , surgery , intervention (counseling) , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , psychiatry , politics , political science , law , optics , biology
The incidence of dog, cat and human bites has been increasing steadily and represents an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Approximately half of all Americans will suffer a bite wound during their lifetime, and the annual medical costs of managing these injuries has been estimated to be over $100 million. Possible complications may include disfigurement, dismemberment and infection. Effective management requires rapid medical evaluation and may necessitate surgical intervention and prophylactic antibiotic therapy. As bite wounds are microbiologically diverse and most often polymicrobial in nature, selection of an appropriate antibiotic regimen requires knowledge of common pathogens. Close clinical follow‐up is recommended to minimize the risk of late complications.