Seasonal variation in upper extremity cat bite injuries: implications for hand surgery workload and resource utilization

作者：H. Marsh, Aneesh Syal, Abygail Andebrhan, Scott N. Loewenstein · 发表于：European Journal of Plastic Surgery · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1007/s00238-026-02527-2 · 研究领域：Rabies epidemiology and control、Poxvirus research and outbreaks、Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies

Abstract Background Cat bites constitute a significant and underrecognized source of upper extremity trauma, particularly in the domain of hand surgery. We aimed to characterize seasonal and demographic trends in feline-related upper extremity injuries presenting to the emergency department over 10 years, and to inform resource allocation, surgical workload, and injury prevention strategies. Methods We performed a retrospective observational cohort study of all emergency department visits for cat bites or scratches to the upper extremity within a large Midwestern health system from January 2014 to January 2024. Encounters were identified using ICD-10 diagnosis codes and merged with regional monthly climate data. Months were classified as warm (May–September) or cold (October–April). Hospital admission was used as a surrogate for clinically significant injury. Operative case data were extracted to characterize surgical burden, repeat washout rates, temporal trends, and sex-based differences in operative utilization. Results Cat bite presentations were significantly more frequent in warm months (74.6 ± 19.3) versus cold months (55.5 ± 14.3; p < 0.0001), with temperature explaining 26.3% of variance in monthly bite counts. Admission probability per bite was unchanged across seasons. Among 6,748 ED encounters, 235 operative cases (3.5% overall) were identified across 164 unique patients; the operative rate among admitted patients was approximately 37%. Forty-six patients (28.0...