Research Article: Polytrauma Caused by a Bear Attacking a Human with a Benign Outcome

Abstract:
Injuries to humans caused by wild animals, particularly bears, are rarely mentioned in the literature. Such injuries are frequent in Siberia, which is a territory surrounded by dense forests inhabited by brown bears. In the last 4 months alone (September–December 2023), four bear attacks on humans were registered in Khakassia, Russia. This article presents a clinical case of rehabilitating a patient after a bear attack, who suffered multiple fragmentary fractures of the facial skeleton with displaced bone fragments, subcutaneous emphysema of the soft tissues of the face, damage to the parietal and right occipital regions and paranasal sinus hemorrhage on the left side. The nature of the injuries was enhanced by trauma to the upper extremity caused by the patient defending himself against the animal. In addition to the damage to his face, the bear tried to open his cranium, as evidenced by four furrows caused by its canines, including two each on the frontal and occipital bones of the skull. The patient’s complex treatment included both maxillofacial and reconstructive surgeries, and outpatient treatment involved the formation of normotrophic scars using a neodymium laser and injections of a heterogeneous composition consisting of microparticles of “crosslinked” collagen of animal origin placed in a gel identical to the natural extracellular matrix.

Introduction:
The anthropogenic impact on the habitats of especially large carnivores leads to less-stable conditions for their prey base. This has a negative impact on people in the vicinity of the habitats of large predatory mammals. Attacks by large wild animals on humans do not only occur during chance encounters in the wilderness. According to the observations of various authors, the most dangerous animals for humans belong to the families Canidae, Felidae, and Ursidae [1]. According to https://worldanimalfoundation.org/…

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