Background:

Dog bite injuries represent an important public health problem, involving all levels of care. They can vary in severity, from superficial wounds (skin and subcutaneous tissue) to devitalization and tissue loss, with the presence of systemic infections, aestethic and functional sequels that require specialized treatment.

Objective:

To describe and share the 7-year experience in the management of dog bite wounds in a plastic and reconstructive surgery referral center in Mexico.

Method:

A retrospective study was conducted where all patients with dog bite wounds that came to the plastic and reconstructive emergency department were enrolled from July 2010 to August 2017. The collected patient demographic characteristics included age, age group, and sex. The collected injury variables included anatomical location, wound characteristics, antibiotic therapy and therapeutic management.

Results:

A total of 416 patients were enrolled, 63% of the dog bites occurred in children under 18 years of age. The majority of the wounds were found in an isolated anatomical region 88.2%. The most frequent location was the face in 61.3%. Of all the cases 74.3% were treated only with primary wound closure, 21.4% also required some reconstructive surgical procedure, 2.9% did not require wound closure, and 1.4% were hospitalized. All patients received prophylactic antibiotics. 2% reported infection after the management with primary wound closure.

Conclusions:

The right management of dog bite wounds in all the health care levels improve the patient prognosis. Complex dog bite wounds must be treated immediately by the plastic and reconstructive surgery department in second or third levels of healthcare. Most of the wounds can be managed by primary closure and other reconstructive techniques with confidence.