title: Comparison of primary and delayed wound closure of dog-bite wounds.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Primary bite wound suturing in the emergency department remains controversial in some cases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a study to investigate the infection rate and cosmetic appearance between primary wound closure and delayed wound closure in dog bite wounds in humans.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients with bite wounds were treated with oral antibiotic medications. We adopted a randomized cohort study, dividing the patients who needed wound closure into two groups: 60 patients for primary closure, and 60 patients for delayed closure, and compared the infection rate and wound cosmetic appearance scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the primary closure group, four people (6.7%) developed a wound infection without systemic infection. In the delayed closure group, three people (5%) developed a wound infection (p = 0.093), but there were not any patients that developed a systemic infection. Thirty-three patients (55%) in the primary closure group had optimal cosmetic scores, whereas 20 patients (33.3%) in the delayed closure group had optimal cosmetic scores (p = 0.012).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although primary wound closure for dog bites may be associated with a higher infection rate, the cosmetic appearance after primary closure was still acceptable.
authors: Urology Department, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China.
authors: Z
authors: Z
authors: Xiaowei
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Wei
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Xiaowei
authors: X
authors: X
authors: Yunbei
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Zhenhua
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Yeqing
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Jiaqi
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Chuanlin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013536:Suture Techniques; D014946:Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult