Abstract
We report a case of a patient with osteomyelitis after finger replantation with dog bite. The patient was a 60-year-old man who accidentally injured his right thumb and index finger with a power saw. After 30 minutes, the index finger was recovered from his dog’s mouth. Finger replantation was done for both fingers on the same at the patient’s request. The thumb was successfully replanted, but the index finger became infected 4 days later. Serratia, Porphyromonas and gram-negative bacillus were detected in the pus. Though we changed antibiotics, we could not help amputating index finger post operation 38 days.
Bite injury of the hand represents a potentially devastating problem in terms of wound infection and long-term disability if not treated appropriately. Treatment with antibiotics, surgical drainage, debridement and copious irrigation proved to be effective. But in our case, we could not perform debridement sufficiently for replantation.
We suggest that amputated fingers with bite injury be replanted with greatest care.
