QUESTION: While fooling around with some of the boys I was accidentally injured when my hand was cut by his teeth.
Although not a deep cut it was bleeding quite a bit and so I went to the emergency room to have it taken care of.
I was surprised when the doctor did not sew it up but left it with just a dressing.
Was this the right care?
ANSWER: Yes, it was.
The simple fact is that routine care of human bite wounds do not require suturing.
However, they should be scrubbed and cleaned thoroughly to prevent infections, and antibiotics may be prescribed when there seems to be a definite chance of contamination and possible resulting infection.
Despite the fact that some human bite injuries may look fairly trivial, no matter how innocent or superficial the bite appears, a doctor should be consulted.
It is not the extent of the wound that is of chief concern, but the possibility of infection that can follow this type of injury. Untreated wounds often progress to "acute necrotizing soft tissue infections," a condition in which there is much damage from the death of cells which can have devastating effects.
If a bite wound is superficial, the doctor may immobilize the hand after cleaning it, making a splint using a plaster of Paris slab, or using lightweight aluminum or plastic splints.
An oral antibiotic that is effective against the germs that normally are found in such wounds is usually indicated.
The hand should be kept elevated using a sling, and a second visit to the doctor is recommended within 24 hours so that additional evaluation can be be made. If the wound is deeper, treatment begins the same way, with careful cleaning.
If tissue damage has occurred, the dead tissue is removed by a surgical technique called debridement.
Antibiotics are useful here as well. Tetanus vaccination is also administered, to prevent "lockjaw". In the cases where there are severe bites that penetrate a joint or tendon, hospitalization may be required for surgical repair of the wound and the continuous administration of intravenous antibiotics.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
