Human fight-bite injuries of the hand : A study of 100 cases within 18 months

100 consecutive patients whose finger had been bitten by another person, or who had cut it on a tooth in a fight, have been studied. 82 healed completely but 18 eventually needed amputation. Early and thorough debridement is required, plus a suitable mixture of antibiotics. Once infection is established in bone or tendon sheath, amputation is often needed, but most infected joints can be saved. Journal of Hand Surgery (British Volume, 1991) 16B: 431-435 The “human fight-bite ” injury and its consequences have been termed the “cancer of the hand ” (Hultgen, 1910