Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Almost 75 million dogs live in the United States, and since many victims of
dog bites don't seek medical care or report the attack, it may be that the U.S.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s estimate of 4.5 million dog
bites each year in the U.S. may be too low. Approximately 880,000 dog bite
victims seek emergency medical care at hospitals in the U.S. every year.
Dogs have rounded teeth, and it is the pressure exerted by their jaws that
can cause significant damage to the tissues under the skin, including bones,
muscles, tendons, blood vessels, and nerves.
More than 30,000 victims of dog bites undergo reconstructive surgery each
year, and 15-20 people die of dog bites yearly.
Who is at risk for a dog bite?
The risk of being bitten by a dog increases if thee is a dog in the home; the
more dogs there are, the greater the risk. Men are more frequent victims than
women (who are bitten by cats more often).
Children between the ages of 5 and 9 are more likely to be bitten by a dog
than other age groups. Children are also more likely to present for medical
attention.
What should I do if someone is bitten by a dog?
The dog bite victim needs to be taken to a safe place away from the assailant
dog to prevent further attack and injury. Since dog bites can cause significant
damage beneath the skin, a type of injury that cannot always easily be
appreciated, medical care should be accessed by a health care practitioner.
Wounds should be kept elevated and, if possible, washing the wound with tap
water may be attempted.
Information should be obtained from the dog's owner about the dogs
rabies immunization status, but if this is not possible, hospital,
animal control centers, or law enforcement
personnel will help gather any required information.
Staphylococcus or Staph is a group of bacteria that can cause a multitude of diseases. Staph infections can cause illness directly by infection or indirectly by the toxins they produce. Symptoms and signs of a Staph infection include redness, swelling, pain, and drainage of pus. Minor skin infections are treated with an antibiotic ointment, while more serious infections are treated with intravenous antibiotics.
Rabies is a potentially fatal viral infection. Rabies symptoms include fever, headache, myalgia, and can progress to more serious symptoms such as seizures, coma and death. The rabies vaccine (rabies treatment) should be administered immediately after the person or pet has been bitten.
Cuts, scrapes, and puncture wounds are common, and most people will experience one of these in their lifetime. Evaluating the injury, and thoroughly cleaning the injury is important. Some injuries should be evaluated by a doctor, and a tetanus shot may be necessary. Treatment will depend upon the severity of the injury.
Group A streptococcal infections are caused by group A streptococcus, a bacteria that causes a variety of health problems, including strep throat, impetigo, cellulitis, erysipelas, and scarlet fever. There are more than 10 million group A strep infections each year.
Children's health is focused on the well-being of children from conception through adolescence. There are many aspects of children's health, including growth and development, illnesses, injuries, behavior, mental illness, family health and community health.
Teenagers recognize that they are developmentally between child and adult. Teen health prevention includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, preventing injuries and screening annually for potential health conditions that could adversely affect teenage health.
The ability to close a skin wound is an important skill learned by medical
care providers. Whether the skin injury was made by a scalpel in the operating
room or by a fall in the street, the decision as to how and when to repair the
damage needs to be individualized for each patient and situation.
The skin has many layers from the epidermis on the outside to the
subcutaneous tissue and the dermis in between. Each of these layers has other
sub-layers that help the skin perform its functions. The skin provides a barrier
to the outside world and the dangers of infection, environmental hazards and
chemicals, and temperature. It contains melanocytes that can darken or tan the
skin while protecting from ultraviolet radiation and it also plays an important role
in temperature regulation.
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