• Carmen A Pfortmueller, Anastasios Efeoglou, Hansjakob Furrer, and Aristomenis K Exadaktylos.
• Department of General Internal Medicine, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland ; Department of Emergency Medicine, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland.
• ScientificWorldJournal. 2013 Jan 1; 2013: 393176.

UnlabelledDog bites in humans are a complex problem, embracing both public health and animal welfare. The primary aim of this study is to examine primary and secondary presentations related to dog bite injuries in adults.MethodsWe retrospectively assessed all adult patients admitted with a dog bite injury to the Emergency Department of Bern University Hospital.ResultsA total of 431 patients were eligible for the study. Forty-nine (11.4%) of all patients were admitted with secondary presentations. Bites to the hands were most common (177, 41.1%). All patients (47, 100%) with secondary presentations were admitted because of signs of infection. The median time since the dog bite was 3.8 days (SD 3.9, range 1-21). Thirty-one patients had already been treated with antibiotic; coamoxicillin was the most common primary antibiotic therapy (27/47 patients, 57.4%). Patients with injuries to the hand were at increased risk of secondary presentations (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.21-3.55, P < 0.006).ConclusionDog bite injuries to the hands are a major problem. They often lead to infectious complications. Immediate antibiotic therapy should carefully be evaluated for each patient.

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