Introduction. The objective of this study is to describe the characteristics of dog bite injuries in children seen at a children's hospital in Bolivia. Population and methods. This was an… Click to show full abstract
Introduction. The objective of this study is to describe the characteristics of dog bite injuries in children seen at a children's hospital in Bolivia. Population and methods. This was an observational, retrospective study in patients seen between 2017 and 2021. Results. A total of 769 patients were studied. Dog bite injuries accounted for 5.6% of emergency visits and 0.8% of hospitalizations. They were more frequent in children younger than 5 years (55.1%), in whom the following were observed: greater injury severity (p = 0.008), history of animal provocation (p = 0.048), known attacking animal (p < 0.036), domestic accident (p = 0.021), greater frequency of post-exposure prophylaxis with anti-rabies serum (p = 0.005), and maxillofacial area as the main region involved (p < 0.001). There were 3 deaths due to human rabies and 1 due to hypovolemic shock. Conclusion. Dog bite injuries are a frequent cause of visit to the emergency department and hospitalization in pediatrics and have specific characteristics in children younger than 5 years.
               
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