EMOttawa - By Hailey Newton - April 13, 2023
On first glance, bite management may seem like a seemingly simple presentation in the ED. However, in today’s literature, there remains a lot of controversy regarding bite management. Who do you give antibiotics to? Can you suture the wound? When should you worry about rabies? Without a good understanding of proper management and follow up care, for some of these cases it can lead to significant morbidity and even mortality if not dealt with properly.
The goal of this post is to help you navigate some of the controversies and provide you with an evidence-based approach that you can use the next time you see a bite wound in the ED.
In part 1 of this 2 part series we will tackle animal bites, part 2 will focus on human bites and considerations around rabies.
