Fight with a Bite
Author: Katie Dolbec, MD, CAQ-SM
Peer-reviewer: Terese Whipple, MD, CAQ-SM
Final editor: Alex Tomesch, MD, CAQ-SM
A patient presents to the Emergency Department with right hand pain after an altercation the night prior. He got into an argument with a friend and punched him in the face. On exam, the patient’s dorsal hand is significantly swollen and erythematous. There is a small break in the skin overlying the proximal 3rd and 4th metacarpals. Range of motion of the 4th and 5th digits is limited, and he cannot make a fist. No rotational deformity is noted with flexion.
Image 1. Image courtesy of Dr. Joseph Ravera.
Image 2. Case courtesy of Student Doctor George Fritsch, Radiopaedia.org, rID: 86036.
References
[1] Frank, R. “Fight Bite.” OrthoBullets. https://www.orthobullets.com/