Analysis and management of pathogens isolated from patients with complicated facial lacerations and abrasions

Plastic surgeons commonly encounter patients with facial lacerations and/or abrasions in the emergency room. If they are properly treated, facial wounds generally heal well without complications. However, infection can sometimes cause delayed wound healing. We performed wound culture for the early detection of infection and to promote the healing of infected facial wounds. We included 5033 patients with facial wounds who visited the emergency room of Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital between January 2018 and February 2021. Among them, 104 patients underwent wound culture. We analysed the pathogens isolated and the patients' age, sex, wound site, mechanism of injury, wound healing time, time from injury to culture, time to culture results, and dressing methods used. Pathogens were isolated in slightly less than half of the patients (38.46%); among them, Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most common (47.5%). Methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated in six (15%) patients. Patients with complicated wounds had a longer mean wound healing time (10.83 ± 5.91 days) than those with non-complicated wounds (6.06 ± 1.68 days). Wound culture of complicated facial wounds resulted in the isolation of various types of pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi. We recommend the use of wound culture for early detection of infection to prevent delayed wound healing.