Human bites of the hand: twenty years of experience.

A retrospective study of the records of 20 years of experience with injuries from human bites reviewed the results of treatment of 42 patients during the first 10 years and 94 in the second 10 years. In the later series there was less delay in the treatment due to better education of primary physicians as well as of patients. There were fewer complications also. A prospective study of 38 patients, whose treatment consisted of soap and water cleansing, thorough exploration and debridement, hospitalization for at least 48 hours, and administration of antibiotics, showed this treatment resulted in a reduction of the incidence of amputation and stiff fingers despite the fact that 61% of the patients still delayed seeking treatment.