Abstract
IntroductionDog bites are a significant health concern in the pediatric population. Few studies published to date have stratified the injuries caused by dog bites based on surgical severity to elucidate the contributing risk factors.MethodsWe used an electronic hospital database to identify all patients ≤17 years of age treated for dog bites from 2013–2018. Data related to patient demographics, injury type, intervention, dog breed, and payer source were collected. We extracted socioeconomic data from the American Community Survey. Data related to dog breed was obtained from public records on dog licenses. We calculated descriptive statistics as well as relative risk of dog bite by breed.ResultsOf 1,252 injuries identified in 967 pediatric patients, 17.1% required consultation with a surgical specialist for repair. Bites affecting the head/neck region were most common (61.7%) and most likely to require operating room intervention (P = 0.002). The relative risk of a patient being bitten in a low-income area was 2.24, compared with 0.46 in a high-income area. Among cases where the breed of dog responsible for the bite was known, the dog breed most commonly associated with severe bites was the pit bull (relative risk vs German shepherd 8.53, relative risk vs unknown, 3.28).ConclusionThe majority of injuries did not require repair and were sufficiently handled by an emergency physician. Repair by a surgical specialist was required <20% of the time, usually for bites affecting the head/neck region. Disparities in the frequency and characteristics of dog bites across socioeconomic levels and dog breeds suggest that public education efforts may decrease the incidence of pediatric dog bites.
Highlights
Dog bites are a significant health concern in the pediatric population
Disparities in the frequency and characteristics of dog bites across socioeconomic levels and dog breeds suggest that public education efforts may decrease the incidence of pediatric dog bites. [West J Emerg Med. 2021;22(6)1301–1310.]
After stratification into age categories of 1–5 years, 6–10 years, and >10 years of age, the 1–5 age group was identified as the group of patients that made up the greatest proportion of those bitten (53.4%)
Summary
Dog bites are a significant health concern in the pediatric population. Few studies published to date have stratified the injuries caused by dog bites based on surgical severity to elucidate the contributing risk factors. With over 4.5 million dog bite injuries reported each year in the United States, dog bites continue to be a significant public health concern.[1] Children are at high risk for dog bite injury, with many incidents reported at or near a victim’s home.[2] The current global pandemic has necessitated virtual. Many studies have identified trends in pediatric dog-bite injuries and interventions,[4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15] but few studies have stratified injury severity based on the type of surgical treatment required. We sought to examine the interplay among these factors in pediatric patients who presented for treatment of dog-bite injuries at our institution
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