Bucak Ibrahim Hakan, Turgut Kasım, Almis Habip, Turgut Mehmet
Department of Pediatrics, Adıyaman University School of Medicine, Adıyaman, Turkey.
Department of Emergency Medicine, Adıyaman University School of Medicine, Adıyaman, Turkey.
Avicenna J Med. 2020 Jan 23;10(1):1-5. doi: 10.4103/ajm.ajm_158_19. eCollection 2020 Jan-Mar.
The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of patients presenting to a pediatric emergency department in a rural province of Turkey due to horse and donkey bites and to analyze whether these features differ from those of more common animal bites in rural areas.
The records of patients presenting to the pediatric emergency department of a tertiary hospital due to horse and donkey bites over a 3-year period were examined retrospectively. Demographic data, month of presentation, animal species involved (horse or donkey), the body area bitten, treatment applied to the wound site, whether tetanus and rabies vaccinations were administered, and whether or not antibiotics were prescribed on discharge from the emergency department were recorded from these files.
The annual incidence of horse and donkey bites was determined as 7.8/100,000. Thirty-six patients, 24 (66.7%) boys and 12 (33.3%) girls, with a mean age of 95.6 ± 33.9 (48-190) months, were included in the study. Twenty-six patients (72.2%) were bitten by donkeys, and 10 (27.8%) by horses. Bites were most common in September (30.6%). The most commonly bitten areas were the back and/or upper extremities. Rabies vaccination was administered in all cases. Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid was prescribed in 28 (77.8%) cases.
Horse and donkey bites are frequently observed in rural areas. The inhabitants of such areas should therefore be educated concerning horse and donkey bites. Health workers encountering such bites should behave in the same way as in more common animal bites in terms of patient management. Our results will be instructive for other developing countries similar to Turkey.
本研究的目的是调查土耳其一个农村省份因马和驴咬伤而前往儿科急诊科就诊的患者的特征，并分析这些特征是否与农村地区更常见的动物咬伤的特征有所不同。
回顾性检查一家三级医院儿科急诊科在3年期间因马和驴咬伤而就诊的患者记录。从这些文件中记录人口统计学数据、就诊月份、涉及的动物种类（马或驴）、被咬身体部位、伤口部位的治疗方法、是否接种破伤风和狂犬病疫苗，以及急诊科出院时是否开具抗生素。
马和驴咬伤的年发病率确定为7.8/100,000。本研究纳入了36例患者，其中24例（66.7%）为男孩，12例（33.3%）为女孩，平均年龄为95.6±33.9（48 - 190）个月。26例患者（72.2%）被驴咬伤，10例（27.8%）被马咬伤。咬伤在9月最为常见（30.6%）。最常被咬的部位是背部和/或上肢。所有病例均接种了狂犬病疫苗。28例（77.8%）病例开具了阿莫西林 - 克拉维酸。
农村地区经常观察到马和驴咬伤。因此，应就此对这些地区的居民进行教育。遇到此类咬伤的医护人员在患者管理方面应采取与处理更常见动物咬伤相同的方式。我们的结果将对其他与土耳其类似的发展中国家具有指导意义。
