Characterization of the Variables Related to Reports of Death Due to Canine Bites in Scientific Articles during the Years 2013–2017: A Systematic Review

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Dog bites are a major public health problem throughout the world. The main consequences for human health include physical and psychological injuries of varying proportions, secondary infections, sequelae, risk of transmission of zoonoses and surgery, among others, which entail costs for the health care system and those affected. The objective of this review was to search and analyze the indexed scientific literature on canine bites resulting in death, published during the period 2013–2017. The results show that most of the articles on bite accidents resulting in death analyzed in this study have details about the victims, their injuries and the treatment received by the victim. These results reflect that most of these accidents are suffered by adults, in public spaces and by only one animal. The analysis of these antecedents, as well as others incorporated in this review, will be of great help to fully understand the incidents of dog bites resulting in death published in the scientific literature. ABSTRACT: Canine bites are an important public health problem, with consequences such as physical injuries, psychological trauma, transmission of zoonoses, infections and they can even cause death. To avoid deaths caused by this type of bite, multiple factors related to this issue must be considered. The objective of this review was to search and analyze the indexed scientific literature on canine bites resulting in death, published during the period 2013–2017. A search was carried out in various databases of indexed literature, in Spanish and English. After selecting and excluding items using PRISMA, they were classified according to SIGN guidelines to filter out the level of evidence and potential biases. Thirty-three scientific articles were retrieved and analyzed. In most of these, victims between 50 and 64 years of age (28.6%, 8/28) were registered. Additionally, in most of the articles, only one animal participated (80%, 16/20). The highest number of events occurred in public spaces (58.5%, 7/12). In conclusion, most of the scientific articles that report incidents of dog bites resulting in death, provide details about the victims, their injuries and the treatment received; however, few articles provide background information on the context of the attack and the biting animal.