Management for dog bite?
-
Hello, my friend Deepak is a 35-year-old man. A stray dog has attacked him on his way to office. That dog has bitten him on his hand. He went to a nearest the pharmacy looking for something to treat a dog bite. He says he was bitten by the healthy dog a few hours ago. His hand is swollen, however, and the bite wound on his knuckle joint is purulent. He was looking for Neosporin powder to treat. He is not sure about his vaccination history. He has no other known medical condition. Can anybody suggest the management of dog bite?
-
@june Bite wounds carry the risk of infection by a mix of aerobic and anaerobic organisms. Early antimicrobial therapy for 3 to 5 days is recommended for patients who (1) are immunocompromised; (2) are asplenic; (3) have advanced liver disease; (4) have preexisting or resultant edema of the affected area; (5) have moderate to severe injuries, especially to the hand or face; or (6) have injuries that may have penetrated the periosteum or joint capsule. According to your friend’s presentation, he meets the criteria for edema of the affected area and perhaps moderate to severe injury to the hand. He should contact his physician to receive a prescription for prophylactic antibiotics. Alternative antibiotic therapies include: Second-generation cephalosporins, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, or levofloxacin plus clindamycin or metronidazole, Moxifloxacin or doxycycline. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that patients bitten by a healthy animal and who can be observed for illnesses for 10 days do not need rabies post exposure prophylaxis unless the animal develops clinical signs of rabies. Tetanus toxoid is recommended for all patients who have not been vaccinated within the past 10 years. Because your friend does not know his vaccination history, you should recommend the tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis vaccine.