Diabetic Gangrene in Multiple Fingers and Toes after a Dog Bite in an Elderly Patient with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

A 78-year-old diabetic woman experienced multiple sites of gangrene not only in fingers that were directly bitten by a dog but also in fingers and toes that had not beenbitten. Her glycemic control was fair and microvascular complications were mild. There were no clinical findings related to angitis, collagenosis or severe infection. The fingers and toes with gangrene were amputated. The pathological diagnosis was diabetic gangrene. This report presents a case of multiple sites of gangrene of the fingers and toes after a dog bite in an elderly patient with type 2 diabetes.

Bite Injuries to the Hand: Microbiology, Virology and Management

“…Delayed medical attention related to initial management of washout can result in varying degrees of cellulitis and local inflammation on presentation, which is more prolific in the immuno-compromised patient including diabetics and smokers [26, 27]. Morbidity related to bites is normally related to infectious complications.…”