Indications for surgical debridement in 125 human bites to the hand
J. O. Basadre and S. W. Parry
Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112.
Indications for operative intervention following human bites to the hand
were determined based on physical examination and time elapsed since
injury. One hundred twenty-four patients admitted to Charity Hospital of
New Orleans, La, were stratified according to time elapsed from injury to
treatment (early, less than 24 hours; delayed, 1 to 7 days; and late,
greater than 7 days). Patients in the early group were mainly treated with
conservative wound care, consisting of local wound exploration and
irrigation in the emergency department, while those in the late group
underwent surgical debridement. Patients in the delayed group either
received conservative wound care or underwent debridement in the operating
room. The early and late groups recovered excellent hand function while
results within the delayed group were variable with improved results
depending on rapid surgical debridement or drainage.
