Featured Case 06/20: FACIAL TRAUMA - DOG BITE TO LIP

Patient:

Tyler

The problem:

"I had a dog bite off a piece of my lip”

Patient History:

• Tyler is a 23-year-old gentleman who was at a friend’s place on Halloween night.
• His friend’s dog suddenly bit his lip and face, resulting in loss of lower lip tissue and puncture wounds to his face.
• Dr. Gilbert was called to consult and treat his facial injury at a local trauma hospital.

Pre Op Photos:

Procedure:

• The patient was taken to the operating room to clean and repair his wounds.
• He underwent delicate plastic repair of his lower lip to reconstruct the lip muscles, skin, and lip line.
• He was placed on therapeutic and prophylactic antibiotics to combat the potential of infection.

Photos of injury and sutured repair:

Treatment course:

• The patient was seen and followed closely by Dr. Gilbert and his team at Inland Institute.
• Careful attention was paid to care for his wounds, healing period, and recovery.

Photo of sutures removed and early healing:

Tyler's Experience:

• Tyler was very pleased with his healing and final result.
• He resumed life as usual with virtually no evidence of his injury.

Commentary:

• Facial trauma can present as a result of various mechanisms and present numerous challenges to both the patient and the treatment team.
• Dog bites are dirty wounds filled with very harmful bacteria. Without proper medical and surgical treatment, it can lead to severe and life-threatening infections.
• Tissue loss is a frequent finding with dog bites and reconstruction takes various approaches. It is not unusual to have multiple surgeries after trauma.
• These injuries can be quite disfiguring. Ultimately, reconstruction intends to return the patient to as close a pre-trauma condition as possible.
• Surgical Experience (trauma, cosmetic, and reconstructive) and in-depth knowledge of the face, head, and neck are of utmost importance in these cases.

We are so happy that Tyler had a very natural result after a single surgical intervention.