Every 12 months, there are an estimated 400,000 cat bites within the United States, with animal bites accounting for roughly 1 p.c of all emergency room visits. Although canine bites are way more frequent, cat bites may be unusually harmful, with one research displaying that one out of three cat bites to the hand led to the sufferers being hospitalized. If left untreated, the an infection from a cat chunk can unfold to the remainder of the physique, resulting in sepsis and doable dying.
Cat bites are high-risk wounds
Cat bites are unusually harmful for a lot of causes. “Cat bites are considered high risk, mainly because their teeth are so small and sharp, that they tend to cause deep puncture wounds,” says Camila Calderón, an emergency medication doctor with UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School.
Cat bites additionally are inclined to occur on the higher physique, most notably the fingers, that are extra weak to changing into contaminated. In the hand, there are a number of completely different muscle tissue and tendons that, if a chunk have been to occur, can develop into contaminated, which is able to then unfold to different elements of the hand.
Another purpose that cat bites are uniquely dangerous are because of the presence of a micro organism known as pasteurella multocida, which is without doubt one of the main causes of hand infections from cat bites. Pasteurella infections are uniquely fast-growing, and when it occurs in a extra inclined space, such because the hand, can rapidly develop into a really critical subject.
What to do should you get bitten
If you do get bitten by a cat, the primary steps are to scrub out the wound as completely as you possibly can, utilizing cleaning soap and water, and to get checked out by a health care provider. “I would recommend that you seek medical care, regardless of whether you feel that you can clean it out,” Calderon says.
If the chunk is unusually deep, or intensive, they may help make it possible for the wound will get completely cleaned out. They can even begin you on antibiotics, to forestall an an infection. Whether it’s the native emergency room, an pressing care or your major care physician, it’s vital to get the physician, and to get on antibiotics, as quickly as you possibly can.
If at any time, the cat chunk wound develops redness, swelling, or ache, otherwise you develop a fever, then it’s vital to move to the emergency room instantly.
In addition to the danger of an infection, cat bites even have another dangers that will require the assistance of a medical skilled. The first main threat is rabies. If the cat’s medical historical past is unknown, they usually ran off after biting, then that will necessitate getting a post-exposure rabies collection. Another threat could also be cat scratch fever, as getting bitten can generally embody getting scratched as properly.
