@article{ref1,
title="Emergency department presentations with mammalian bite injuries: risk factors for admission and surgery",
journal="Medical journal of Australia",
year="2016",
author="Ting, Jeannette Wc and Yue, Brian Yin Ting and Tang, Howard Ho Fung and Rizzitelli, Alexandra and Shayan, Ramin and Raiola, Frank and Rozen, Warren M. and Hunter-Smith, David",
volume="204",
number="3",
pages="114-114",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: The incidence of animal bite injuries in Australia is high. There is currently no established method for reliably predicting whether a patient with a bite injury will require admission to hospital or surgery. <br><br>DESIGN: A retrospective audit of mammalian bite injuries at seven major hospitals in Melbourne, Victoria, over a 2-year period. The associations between each predictor and outcome of interest were analysed with univariate and multiple regression analyses. SETTING: Seven major hospitals in Melbourne, Victoria: the Alfred Hospital, Austin Hospital, Frankston Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, St Vincent's Hospital and Western Hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Patients presenting to emergency departments with mammalian bite injuries. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Hospital admission, intravenous antibiotic therapy, surgery, reoperation, readmission. <br><br>RESULTS: We identified 717 mammalian bite injuries. The mean age of the patients was 36.5 years (median, 34 years; range, 0-88 years), with an equal number of males and females. The overall rate of hospital admission was 50.8%, and the mean length of stay was 2.7 days. Intravenous antibiotics were administered in 46% of cases; surgery was undertaken in 43.1% of cases. The re-operation rate was 4.5%, the re-admission rate was 3%. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides a detailed epidemiological analysis of animal bite injuries at seven major hospitals in Victoria. Risk factors for hospitalisation and surgery may assist in identifying patients who require admission and surgical intervention.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0025-729X",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}