[Animal bites at the casualty department of the Oslo City Council].

The research article provides an analysis of data from animal bite incidents reported to the Casualty Department of the Oslo City Council over a two-year period. It includes details about the animals responsible for the bites, the age and gender of the victims, and the type of medical treatment received.

Subjects and Methodology

• The researchers analyzed data from all cases that were diagnosed as ‘animal bites’ over a period of two years in the Casualty Department of the Oslo City Council.
• Out of 1,051 reported incidents, the gender and age of the victims were recorded, and also how the wounds were treated, whether antibiotics were prescribed, and tetanus status were examined.

Results

• 48% of the bite victims were women and 14% were children under 16 years of age.
• 90% of the wounds were treated without closure. Half of the patients did not receive antibiotics during their first visit, while one third were prescribed penicillin.
• In 97% of the cases, the tetanus status of the patients was evaluated.

Animal Bites Analysis

• Most bites were attributed to dogs (76%), followed by cats (17%) and horses (2%).
• In the category of children bite victims, dogs were responsible for 15% of bites, cats 4%, and horses 53%.
• The frequency with which victims of dog and cat bites sought medical attention within 12 hours of injury was also scrutinized. Results show that victims of dog bites presented more rapidly than cat bite victims.
• The German shepherd was identified as the most frequently reporting dog breed for causing bites.

Victims’ Demographic Analysis

• Men were identified as having a higher risk of suffering dog bites, while adult women were more likely to be bitten by cats.
• Young girls were found to be more prone to horse bites.
• In terms of location of bites, dogs were more likely to bite children in the face and head areas, while adults were bitten on the hands. Cats, contrastingly, bit two thirds of both children and adults on their hands.

Wounds and Healing

• Most of the bite wounds were found to be superficial and healed without complications, either without antibiotics or with penicillin after wound treatment.

Implications for Future Research

• The researchers suggested that computerized injury charts could help in better documentation of cases, thereby making future quality control and research simpler and more effective.