ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a case study of a 21-year-old man who attends the Emergency Department after being bitten by his cat 3 days ago. This man has flexor tenosynovitis of the hand. Infection is usually caused by an inoculation event such as a cat bite due to their sharp needle like teeth. Cat oral flora contains organisms such as Staphyloccus aureus, Streptococcus viridans, Streptococcus pyogenes and more importantly Pasteurella multocida and Bartonella henslae. These organisms cause a rapidly spreading infection through the finger soft tissues and the flexor tendon sheath resulting in accumulation of pus and compartment syndrome. Perform a thorough systemic examination as haematogenous spread can cause complications such as pneumonia, brain abscesses and infective endocarditis. If the patient's immunisation status is unknown or incomplete, the patient should receive human tetanus immunoglobulin as well as a tetanus vaccine at time of assessment.
