Law Enforcement K-9 Dog Bites: Injuries, Complications, and Trends☆,☆☆,★,★★
Section snippets
INTRODUCTION
Although dogs have been used in war for more than 2,000 years, they were initially trained for police work in Belgium in 1889 and in the United States in 1907.1 In the United States approximately 2,000 law enforcement agencies have K-9 dog units, comprising nearly 7,000 K-9 handler teams.1 Most law enforcement agencies prefer the German shepherd because of its size, keen senses of hearing and smell, intelligence, agility, and temperament2, 3, although Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers are also
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A retrospective review of the medical records of all patients with a law enforcement K-9 dog bite treated in the Jail Ward ED of the Los Angeles County–University of Southern California Medical Center between January 1, 1988 and December 31, 1995, was conducted. The Jail Ward ED and Jail Ward inpatient service provide acute care for any patient 16 years or older who is under arrest or incarcerated by a law enforcement agency in Los Angeles County. During the study period this medical center was
RESULTS
Between January 1, 1988, and December 31, 1995, 790 patients presented to the Jail Ward ED with K-9 dog bites. Medical records for 705 (89.2%) were available for review (Figure). Each year more than 82% of medical records were available for review. The patients ranged in age from 16 to 62 years (median, 24 years; mean, 25 years). Adolescents aged 16 to 19 years accounted for 184 of in-custody patients with K-9 dog bites (26.1%). Of the in-custody patients with K-9 dog bites, 695 (98.6%) were
DISCUSSION
This study is the largest series of law enforcement K-9 dog bites ever reported in the medical literature. The vast majority of individuals bitten by law enforcement dogs were young, nonwhite, and male. In this study there were greater proportions of males and Hispanics in custody and a lower proportion of whites in custody compared with the overall felony arrests for Los Angeles County for the period 1988–1994.14 Because not all in-custody patients in Los Angeles County with K-9 bites required
Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge Joel Hart for his assistance in compiling data.
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Management of vascular trauma from dog bites
2013, Journal of Vascular SurgeryCitation Excerpt :A 3-year review of the epidemiology of animal bites in all Indiana counties showed that the most common (78%) bite perpetrator was the dog, with larger breeds of dogs inflicting the more serious bites.5 When major trauma occurs from dog bites, they are commonly associated with vascular and orthopedic injuries.6,7 Although literature exists on the clinical presentation of dog bites and the risks of vascular injury,1,6,7,10 a paucity of information exists regarding the management and outcomes of these vascular injuries.
The management of bite wounds in children - A retrospective analysis at a level i trauma centre
2012, InjuryCitation Excerpt :In contrast to those findings, most cat bites occur unprovoked in women.7,17 Dog's teeth and jaws are designed to cause crush injury, lacerations and abrasions, contrary to the long slender incisors of cats that almost always inflict puncture wounds.7,17,18 Cat bites are challenging, because they are less destructive and life threatening but if occurring close to joints or bones, septic arthritis can be a consequence.19,20
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From the Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts*; and the Department of Emergency Medicine, Los Angeles County–University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles, California.‡
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Supported in part by a grant from the Red Blanket Society.
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Reprint no.47/1/80263
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Address for reprints: H Range Hutson, MD Department of Emergency Medicine Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School 75 Francis Street Boston, MA 02115