What is it about ?
A bite wound is usually caused by the bite of a cat, dog, or human being. It could be a scratch, tear or puncture. A scratch only causes superficial lesions. In the event of a tear, as the name suggests, the skin is “torn” and the wound sometimes extends into the underlying tissue. Finally, a perforation is usually caused by a tooth penetrating deep into the skin. By the time the tooth is removed, this wound closes and only the pierced orifice remains.
About 5-20% of dog bites, 30-60% of cat bites, and 10% of human bites can lead to infection. Infectious germs come from the mouth or the mouth, respectively from humans or animals, or from the environment. If you are bitten by an animal while abroad, you should also consider the risk of rage. Humans can be carriers of an infectious disease such as hepatitis B or C or HIV.
How to recognize them?
In the event of a bite wound, be aware of the risk of infection. Characteristic signs are redness, swelling, localized heat and pain. There may also be a fever. Badly affected tissue can die (necrode). The phenomenon of necrosis is recognized by a black discoloration. In case of bite wounds on the hands, also watch out for lesions to the tendons. These lesions prevent certain movements of the fingers: for example, you can no longer bend or stretch them.
How is the diagnosis made?
The diagnosis in itself is not a problem. The doctor will mainly pay attention to possible complications, such as infection, tissue necrosis or injury to the tendons.
What can you do ?
It is very important to (have) treated any bite wounds as quickly as possible. Don’t wait for it to go away on its own. A wound that is more than 24 hours old can no longer be sewn. After 24 hours, the risk of infection is too great. Indeed, by sewing the wound, the germs would remain locked inside it.
After a bite, immediately run the wound under running tap water. Prompt cleaning of the wound and the surrounding area offers even better protection than antibiotics against infection. You don’t have to use disinfectant.
Dog bites can be cleaned with soap. Soap slows down the development of the virus responsible for rabies. If you are exposed to a high risk of contamination (for example if you are a veterinarian), you can be vaccinated preventively against rabies. If you are bitten by a dog abroad, it is very important to see a doctor or go to the hospital within 24 hours.
It is advisable to elevate the injured area to prevent swelling. Also check if you are still in order for the tetanus vaccination. If your last vaccination was more than 10 years ago, a new vaccination is necessary.
What can your doctor do?
After carefully cleaning the wound, the doctor will rinse it with physiological saline. He will remove pieces of skin and dead (necrotic) tissue under local anesthesia.
If the wound is recent and there is no sign of infection, it will be sewn up immediately, if possible. Old and infected wounds are left open and covered with a sterile dressing. If there is pus, the doctor will always take a small amount to look for the pathogenic bacteria.
If necessary, you will receive a tetanus vaccine.
In the following cases, antibiotics are prescribed as a preventive measure for 3 to 5 days:
- deep wound to the bone or joint,
- bite wounds on the hands and face,
- bite wounds near the genitals and near joint prostheses,
- people with weakened immune systems (removal of the spleen, excessive alcohol consumption, drugs and / or disease that weakens the immune system);
- cat bites or human bites.
If there is no sign of infection after 3-5 days, treatment is stopped. If there are signs of infection after this treatment, antibiotics will be continued for up to 10 days.
If you have been bitten by someone, we will check if there is any data available about them. If it can be ruled out that that person is at risk of hepatitis, for example, then no action should be taken. If no information is available on that person, it is best that you receive a hepatitis B vaccine immediately. If the person who bit you is known to be HIV positive, PEP treatment (post-exposure prophylaxis) will be started in certain specific cases. This is a treatment based on drugs against HIV, introduced to prevent possible contamination. However, HIV is very unlikely to be transmitted by bite: saliva contains too few viral particles to transmit the virus. The only potential risk of transmission is if there is blood in the mouth of the person who bit you.
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