The Role of Surgical Debridement in the Treatment of Systemic Tetanus: A Case Report.

CASE: Tetanus is a potentially life-threatening infection of Clostridium tetani characterized by painful muscular spasms and hypertonia. Surgical debridement of infected tissue is intended to reduce the number of spores and limit the extent of the disease. We report a case of an unvaccinated 13-year-old adolescent boy who presented with systemic tetanus after stepping on a nail, and we describe the role that surgical debridement of infected tissue plays in optimizing outcomes. CONCLUSION: Orthopaedic surgeons must remain aware of the role of surgical debridement of wounds potentially infected with C. tetani because it is an important component of proper management.

Non-surgical treatment of tetanus infection associated with breast cancer skin ulcer: a case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported poor prognosis in cases of tetanus that develops after bacteria enters via breast cancer-related skin ulcers that are not treated with surgical debridement. Herein, we review the literature concerning this presentation and report the first case of complete remission from tetanus without surgical debridement of the skin ulcer. CASE PRESENTATION: An Asian woman aged over 60 years had a history of skin ulcer caused by breast cancer. She was diagnosed with tetanus due to trismus and opisthotonus. Based on the suspicion that the skin ulcer was the portal of entry for tetanus bacteria, we considered several debridement and thoracic surgical options for tetanus treatment. However, debridement was not performed as the surgery was considered high risk and the patient did not consent to it. The patient received treatment with anti-tetanus globulin and metronidazole; sound insulation and shielding were also performed in a dark room. Subsequently, the patient's symptoms improved, and sound insulation and deep sedation management were completed on 19th day of hospitalization. With no symptom recurrence, the patient was discharged on Day 54. To date, over 3 years after treatment, no evidence of tetanus recurrence has been observed. The case was characterized by a lack of autonomic hyperactivity. The tetanus severity was likely representative of the low amount of toxin that the patient was exposed to. CONCLUSION: This case involved moderate severity tetanus originating from a chronic skin ulcer related to breast cancer. The patient survived without undergoing extensive debridement. No evidence of tetanus relapse was observed during the follow-up period, likely due to vaccination that might have restored the patient's active immunity. Debridement is not always necessary for tetanus complicated by breast cancer skin ulcers. Furthermore, appropriate toxoid vaccination is critical for preventing the onset and recurrence of tetanus in these patients.

An unusual complication of the traditional treatment of a closed fracture - generalized tetanus: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Tetanus is a severe infectious disease that can lead to death. The clinical manifestations are due to an exotoxin secreted by Clostridium tetani, a spore-producing Gram-positive bacillus. The penetration of the germ is made through a skin opening, independently of the size of the wound. CASE PRESENTATION: A 13-year-old black African boy of the Bantu ethnic group with unknown tetanus vaccination status presented to our pediatric emergency room for the management of chest and vertebral pains which started a few days after traditional treatment by scarification and herbal and leaf ointment. The treatment was initiated by a traditional healer and indicated for a closed fracture of our patient's left forearm sustained during a fight. The diagnosis of generalized tetanus was made on the basis of generalized contractures with opisthotonus, trismus, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Despite prompt intensive care management, he died a few hours after admission. CONCLUSION: This case emphasizes the permanent threat of tetanus in our environment especially after cultural and traditional acts like scarification that in this specific case was for a therapeutic purpose.

Neurally adjusted ventilatory assist improves patient-ventilator synchrony in a patient with tetanus and unstable diaphragmatic electrical activity.

A 79-y-old man with generalized tetanus was admitted to the ICU. A left-forearm wound was surgically debrided, and the wound was closed. On postoperative day 1, after the patient experienced opisthotonos and convulsions, endotracheal intubation was performed. Propofol and diazepam were infused but failed to stop the convulsions. Morphine, midazolam, dantrolene, and rocuronium were used to ameliorate the muscle spasms. Magnesium sulfate was also infused. On postoperative day 15, patient-ventilator asynchrony was apparent. The patient showed recurrent tachypnea and bradypnea, which seemed typical of Cheyne-Stokes respiration. A neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) catheter was inserted transnasally, and electrical activity of the diaphragm (Edi) was monitored. Readings showed regular attempts to breathe at 40-50 breaths/min with periodic changes in Edi amplitude. NAVA mode improved patient-ventilator synchrony. Periodic breathing continued for 2 weeks. We stopped monitoring Edi on postoperative day 39. He began respiratory rehabilitation and was transferred to a hospital for rehabilitation on postoperative day 80. We encountered periodic respiration in a patient with tetanus. Edi monitoring revealed periodic amplitude change. The cause of the periodic breathing pattern in this patient could not be determined but may be attributable to side effects of the pharmacologic interventions or the natural history of the disease itself. NAVA mode improved patient-ventilator synchrony.

The eponymous Dr James Marion Sims MD, LLD (1813-1883).

Dr James Marion Sims was born in 1813 in Lancaster County, South Carolina. It was while pioneering numerous surgical procedures in Alabama that in 1849 he achieved the outstanding landmark in medical history of successfully, and consistently, repairing vesicovaginal fistulae. Sims soon developed a reputation as a fine surgeon, with new operations and techniques, using novel surgical instruments and his innovative approaches frequently published. Moving to New York City in 1853, he further established hospitals devoted entirely to women's health. Sims was controversial, with flamboyant descriptions of self-confident success, yet they were tempered with sober reflection of failure and loss. Today we remain with the Sims speculum and Sims position, eponymous tributes to his accomplishments as the 'Father of Gynaecology'.

An L-2 burst fracture and cauda equina syndrome due to tetanus.

Thoracic vertebral compression fractures are a known complication of generalized tetanus. The authors report the first known case of an L-2 burst fracture leading to cauda equina syndrome, as a result of generalized tetanus. This 51-year-old man had generalized tetanus with a constellation of symptoms including compartment syndrome requiring fasciotomies, severe axial spasms and spasms of the extremities, autonomic dysreflexia, hypercarbic respiratory failure, and rhabdomyolysis. During the course of his illness, areflexic paraparesis developed in his lower extremities. He was found to have an L-2 burst fracture with retropulsion of a bone fragment resulting in cauda equina syndrome. Operative intervention was undertaken to decompress the cauda equina and stabilize the spine. The natural progression of tetanus can be complex, with a mixed picture ranging from spasms plus increased tone and reflexes to reduced tone and reflexes as presynaptic nerve terminals become damaged. The authors suggest that all sudden changes in the neurological examination should prompt consideration of diagnostic imaging before attributing such changes to natural progression of the disease.

A tsunami related tetanus epidemic in Aceh, Indonesia.

In January 2005, a tetanus epidemic was discovered amongst survivors of the Boxing Day Tsunami in Aceh, Indonesia. Our aim was to describe the extent of the tetanus outbreak in tsunami survivors admitted and describe the case outcomes from one hospital. All clinicians were instructed to report suspected cases to a centralised organisation using a standardised data collection tool. Active case finding was carried out by a trained team that visited hospital wards in Aceh. Of the 106 cases, 79% was above 25 years old (the median age was 40 years) and 62% was male. The mortality rate in Aceh was 19% and that of in follow up cases was 17%. Fifteen of the follow-up cases were admitted with severe tetanus associated with superficial wounds, three of whom had a history of immersion. Supplies to treat the tetanus cases in this epidemic were initially limited as disaster relief agencies were not prepared for the resultant tetanus epidemic. The mortality rate of 17%, was significantly less than was usual for tetanus in adults (>50%) and children (80%) in underdeveloped countries. To reduce mortality and morbidity, rapid disaster relief organisations should include supplies for vaccination and treatment of tetanus cases and consider early tracheotomy for severe cases.

Post-traumatic endophthalmitis involving Clostridium tetani and Bacillus spp.

PURPOSE: To report a case of post-traumatic infectious endophthalmitis caused by Clostridium tetani and Bacillus spp. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 25-year-old man developed endophthalmitis after a traumatic corneoscleral laceration of his right eye by a concrete reinforcement bar. He underwent pars plana lensectomy and vitrectomy with aspiration of vitreous fluid and a conjunctival swab for cultures. Cultures from the conjunctival swab were negative for organisms. Cultures of the vitreous aspirate were positive for Bacillus species and C. tetani. He had received a tetanus toxoid booster at the emergency department. By the time the culture results became available, he had developed severe eye pain associated with marked orbital congestion, increased swelling and erythema of the lids, marked injection and chemosis of the conjunctiva, and subsequently underwent evisceration. The inflammation resolved after evisceration of the right eye, and he was discharged to home on doxycycline 100 mg orally two times daily for 10 days. CONCLUSION: We are unaware of previous reports of endophthalmitis involving C tetani and could find none in a computerized MEDLINE search. Patients with penetrating eye injury should be assessed for tetanus immunization status, and early intervention with tetanus toxoid booster and/or tetanus immune globulin should be considered if cultures are positive.

[Tetanus in a drug addict and HIV carrier patient]. / Tétanos en una paciente con farmacodependencia y portadora de VIH.

We report the resuscitation of a woman with a severe tetanic process, dependence on drugs and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. During her course, the patient presented high hemodynamic lability and supraventricular and ventricular ectopic beats. Impairment of oxygenation and ventilation led to tracheotomy and controlled ventilation for 25 days. Then, intermittent mandatory ventilation was initiated and maintained for 15 days. The patient was extubated. Partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood was 73 mmHg and PaO2/FIO2 was 183; she had a sepsis of pulmonary origin. High doses of sedative and analgesic agents (diazepam, 40 mg/hour and morphine, 2.5 mg/hour) were required. We believe the acme of the process was on days 13 and 15 during her stay at the resuscitation unit. We conclude that neither the symptomatology nor her course nor the treatment differed from other severe forms of tetanus treated by us. The infective process did not fit into what would be expected in an immunodeficient background.

The continuing problem of tetanus.

Thirty-eight instances of tetanus were treated during a recent 20 year period at the University of Mississippi and Jackson Veterans Administration Medical Centers. One patient had received a single prior dose of tetanus toxoid and the remainder had never received tetanus toxoid. Sixteen patients sought medical care for their tetanus wound prior to the onset of clinical tetanus, but none received specific antitetanus prophylaxis. The majority of tetanus wounds were located on lower extremities and often were chronic vascular ulcers. The over-all mortality was 37 per cent and survival rate was not affected by patient age, duration, location or severity of the tetanus wound or presence of associated diseases. Aggressive surgical treatment of the tetanus wound was associated with decreased mortality for uncertain reasons. Although low mortality from tetanus is possible with improved intensive care technology, the disease should be virtually preventable by the provision of proper tetanus prophylaxis to all patients at risk.