Complex Wound Closure Following Mysterious and Vicious Animal Attack

Animal attacks are a worrisome and dangerous entity that occur at high volumes and are evaluated frequently by ER physicians, primary care physicians, trauma teams, acute care surgeons, and plastic surgeons. The severity of animal attacks can range from a small insect sting to mauling by large animal, and even death. With animal attacks of high intensity, there is often significant scratching, tearing, shearing, with destruction of the skin, subcutaneous tissues, muscles, and bone. Serious attacks frequently lead to infection, sepsis, pain, loss of sensation or mobility, operative interventions, and amputations of affected limbs. We report herein the traumatic mauling of a woman by a reported unknown animal. Though the entity of animal attacks has been reported in the past, this case dictates presentation given the suspicious circumstances surrounding the attack, the involvement of her care requiring a multidisciplinary surgical approach via trauma surgery and plastic surgery, multiple extensive interventions, and the excellent take of the split thickness skin graft (STSG) after the use of a dermal regeneration template (DRT).