Abstract
Purpose :
There are scarce data regarding the rates of ocular and periocular injuries from animal bites with minimal emphasis on cats as the perpetrators. In this population-based study, we described the incidence and characteristics of ocular, periocular, and facial injuries from cat bites over a 17-year period.
Methods :
The Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP), a medical records-linkage system, was used to identify all potential cases of facial injuries from cat bites in Olmsted County, Minnesota from January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2015. The ophthalmic cohort included patients with ocular and periocular injuries with or without facial injuries while the non-ophthalmic cohort included patients with facial injuries not involving the ocular or periocular regions.
Results :
There were 19 patients with facial injuries from cat bites in the study period, 6 ophthalmic and 13 non-ophthalmic. Mean age was 8.4 years (0.4-26.1) and 10 (53%) were male. The overall age- and sex-adjusted incidence of facial injuries from animal bites was 0.7 per 100, 000 per year (95% CI: 0.4-1.0) adjusted to the 2010 US white population, 0.2 per 100, 000 per year (95%: 0.0-0.4) ophthalmic and 0.5 per 100, 000 per year (95%: 0.2-0.7) non-ophthalmic. Most cat bites were provoked (n=10, 76.9%) and caused by animals known to the victim (n=14, 88%). All patients with ophthalmic injuries had eyelid lacerations, and none sustained ocular trauma. Patients with ophthalmic injuries had similar rates of cheek laceration (33% vs. 39%), antibiotic prophylaxis (83% vs. 77%), tetanus prophylaxis (17% vs. 39%), and wound closure (33% vs. 15%) as patients with non-ophthalmic injuries. There was a trend toward more cellulitis complicating ophthalmic injuries (17% vs 0%), this difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusions :
Periocular and facial injuries from cat bites are rare, with little if any risk of ocular trauma. Children and young adults are at most risk.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.