Surgical Management of Pediatric Dog Bites: A Systematic Review and Treatment Guideline

In brief

This systematic review establishes evidence-based surgical guidelines for managing pediatric dog bite injuries, addressing critical clinical questions about wound care, antibiotic prophylaxis, and rabies prevention. The work fills a gap in pediatric trauma management where expert opinion has traditionally guided treatment of these high-risk infections.

• Dog bites in children carry high infection risk due to atypical bacterial species requiring specific antimicrobial coverage.
• No evidence-based surgical guidelines exist; current management relies on expert opinion rather than systematic data.
• Three critical decision points: wound closure timing, prophylactic antibiotic indications, and rabies prophylaxis criteria.
• Systematic review addresses gap between expert recommendations and evidence-based practice for pediatric dog bite management.

Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.