Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 15, 2026
Subcutaneous Infection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA
Published on: February 9, 2011
Management of Human Bite Wounds in Children: A 9-Year Retrospective Study
1Department of Day Surgery Ward Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China; China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders, Chongqing, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Structural Birth Defect and Reconstruction, Chongqing, China.
Insights
Delayed closure of pediatric human bite wounds is recommended. This method significantly reduces infection rates and improves wound healing compared to primary closure, offering a better treatment outcome for children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Trauma Surgery
- Wound Management
- Infectious Disease Prevention
Background:
- Human bites are a common pediatric injury, yet optimal treatment strategies remain debated.
- Effective management is crucial to minimize complications such as infection and ensure proper healing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the therapeutic outcomes of different treatment methods for human bite wounds in children.
- To identify risk factors associated with wound infection in pediatric human bite cases.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of clinical data from 660 children with human bites treated between 2014 and 2022.
- Patients were categorized into debridement, primary closure, and delayed closure groups.
- Statistical analyses included Pearson chi-squared test and binary logistic regression to evaluate treatment efficacy and identify infection predictors.
Main Results:
- Delayed closure demonstrated a significantly lower infection rate (12.6%) compared to primary closure (29.0%).
- Optimal wound healing rates were highest in the delayed closure group (76.4%), comparable to the primary closure group (80.8%) but superior to debridement (33.1%).
- Advanced age, primary closure suture method, and longer onset-to-treatment time were identified as independent predictors of wound infection.
Conclusions:
- Delayed closure of pediatric human bite wounds is recommended.
- This approach effectively achieves a low wound infection rate and satisfactory wound healing outcomes.
- It offers a superior alternative for managing human bites in the pediatric population.
Introduction:
Human bites are one of the common traumas among children; however, their treatment remains controversial. This study aimed to explore the treatment of human bite wounds in children.
Materials And Methods:
The clinical data of 792 children with human bites were collected between 2014 and 2022. Based on their treatment methods, the patients were divided into the debridement group, primary closure group, and delayed closure group, and the therapeutic effects were analyzed. Pearson χ 2 test was employed to compare classified variables. We used binary logistic regression to identify the risk factors of wound infection.
Results:
In total, 660 children with human bites meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in this study, with an average age of 8.38 y (2 mo to 17 y). The participants were mainly male (85.2%), and the most common site of injury was the head or neck (81.4%). In total, 111 children (16.8%) developed wound infection, and the infection rate was significantly lower in the delayed closure group than in the primary closure group (12.6% versus 29.0%, P < 0.001), but there was no significant difference between the delayed closure group and the debridement group (12.6% versus 7.6%, P = 0.139). There were 395 children with optimal wound healing. The optimal wound healing rate in the delayed closure group was significantly higher than that in the debridement group (76.4% versus 33.1%, P = 0.733), with no significant difference between the delayed closure group and the primary closure group (76.4% vs 80.8%, P < 0.001). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, advanced age (risk ratio (RR) 1.195 per increasing 1-y interval, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.090-1.310), suture method (RR 4.375 for primary closure compared to delayed closure, 95% CI 2.173-8.808), and onset-to-treatment time (RR 1.029 for each additional hour, 95% CI 1.010-1.049) were independent predictors of wound infection.
Conclusions:
For human bites of children, we recommend delayed closure, which can achieve both a low wound infection rate and satisfactory wound healing.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:24Smallpox
01:28Rabies