Alligator Assault: A Systematic Literature Review and Case Series at a Florida Level 1 Trauma Center

Alligator bites are a rare occurrence, though some literature on injurious human-alligator interactions exists. This report details 3 cases of alligator bite-related wounds with characteristic extensive tissue damage and subsequent reconstruction. We also review the literature on caring for this specific population.

The authors present a systematic literature review on alligator bite-related sequalae and care. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed throughout the systematic literature review. The authors also present a case series of patients wounded by alligators who each presented to a large tertiary academic center on the west coast of Florida.

Early debridement, prophylactic antibiotics, soft tissue reconstruction, and interdisciplinary care are the main tenets of care for patients who sustain alligator bites. Case 1 was a 53-year-old man with a left upper extremity bite with significant neurovascular damage and near transradial amputation who underwent emergent revascularization. After multiple attempts at limb salvage, the patient underwent formal transradial amputation. Case 2 was a 77-year-old woman with bites to her left upper and lower extremities, with concern for lower extremity Morel-Lavallée lesion. The lower extremity wound was reconstructed with lateral gastrocnemius muscular and fibularis longus musculocutaneous flaps and split-thickness grafting; ultimately, transradial amputation was necessary for the upper extremity after evidence of devascularization. Case 3 was a 34-year-old man with a facial injury and skull fracture. After initial operative repair of the facial nerve and soft tissue lacerations, the patient required later revision with cranioplasty and temporalis coverage because of a draining wound. All 3 patients survived their severe injuries.

This case series represents a unique set of patients maimed by alligators and their subsequent surgical management. Recommendations from the literature review include an interdisciplinary approach, early operative investigation and initiation of broad-spectrum antibiotics, and to consider a staged reconstruction for these injuries.