Case history
Case history #1
A 7-year-old boy presents to the emergency department with lacerations to the face. His parents witnessed their son playing with their neighbour's Staffordshire bull terrier when he was bitten by the dog. The boy has several lacerations on his cheek and lips, of varying depth, with superficial abrasions. He has multiple scratches on his upper chest.
Case history #2
A 25-year-old man presents to the emergency department with a painful swollen hand. He had a short but full-thickness laceration over his fourth and fifth metacarpal joints on his right hand with surrounding soft tissue erythema, warmth, and wound drainage. On further questioning he relates having been in a fight the previous night where he punched a man in the mouth.
Other presentations
Some patients present after the biting event with complications arising from infection, such as wound drainage or redness, fevers, or chills. In addition, animal bites from atypical animals (i.e., farm, laboratory, or feral animals and exotic pets) present from recreational and occupational settings.
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