Observations
Cosmetic surgery often needed for dog bite injuries
Young children can require complex treatments
A report, in the March Journal of Craniofacial Surgery, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, (a part of Wolters Kluwer Health), found that dog-bites are common, and frequently require complex cosmetic surgery.
The study, led by Dr. Barry L. Eppley of Indiana University Health North Hospital, Carmel, and Dr. Arno Rene Schelich of Hans Privatklinikum, Graz, Austria, reviewed evidence of dog-bite injuries ten years after the event.
They found that treatment often required secondary revision surgery, to tackle scarring, and even with several interventions, permanent scarring was common. Researchers urged medics to align expectations of families of injured children, with the possible need for more than one cosmetic surgical intervention, and unavoidable scarring.
The main issue for surgeons, was the difficulty in closing wounds without risk of infection—a possibility which called for more complicated treatment than straight-forward stitching.
Researchers found that three-quarters of dog bite cases resulted in ‘scar revision’ surgery. “Even with favourable results from scar revisions, the patient and family may still regard the scars as a permanent disfigurement,” said Eppley.
