Dog Bites of the Scalp, Face, and Neck in Children

Abstract

The injured child is typically a 5-year-old boy attacked by a familiar dog at home or in the local neighborhood. Children with the diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder appear to be at a higher risk of dog bite injuries and should be monitored during interactions with dogs. The goal of surgical management for severely injured children is to avoid immediate mortality and to establish a schedule of multiple-staged procedures for revision surgeries. An optimal cosmetic result is the principal goal for less severely injured children.

Craniocerebral injuries from dog bites

“…Mitchell et al showed that the attack site was familiar to the child in 59% of cases 2 . Although CDC Injury Center found 25 breeds to be involved in attacks, the pit bull and rottweiler breeds were responsible for 50% of all cases.…”

“…Smith et al showed that there is poor evidence of benefit, while other authors have suggested using antibiotics in any dog bite injury with bone involvement, especially if there is CSF inoculation 2,3,8,9 . If infection does occur, Pasteurella multocida is isolated in culture in more than 50% of the cases, followed by Staphylococcus (25%) and Streptococcus (15%) 8 .…”

“…In the U.S., Weiss et al reported a rate of 12.9 per 10,000 persons, for dog-bite related injuries resulting in a total of 333,687 visits to Emergency Departments 1 . Children most commonly fall victim, where the head and neck are the most frequent sites of injury accounting for some 80% of such cases.To date, craniocerebral injury cases caused by dog bites have been little published in the medical literature 2,3 . Two cases of penetrating head injury from dog bites are presented and discussed in the context of the current literature on clinical and radiological evaluation, and treatment.…”

“…To date, craniocerebral injury cases caused by dog bites have been little published in the medical literature 2,3 . Two cases of penetrating head injury from dog bites are presented and discussed in the context of the current literature on clinical and radiological evaluation, and treatment.…”

Analysis of Pediatric Facial Dog Bites

“…The average age of patients in our study agrees with other published reports that focused on injuries of the head and neck. 3,[12][13][14] Younger children are more prone to injuries to the face due to their smaller stature which is on the same level as dogs, their relatively large head size compared with their body, and their lack of understanding and fear of dogs leading them to bring their faces within an intimate and threatening distance from the dog. 3,12 Many authors have reported that males are more likely to suffer a dog bite, 10,12 but like others, 8,15 we found no gender difference.…”