The common characteristics of these patients are that they have not been vaccinated and all have open wounds but do not treat them thoroughly at home, leading to tetanus bacterial infection. When there are signs of jaw stiffness, the patient is admitted to the hospital for treatment.
A typical example is a male patient, 66 years old, in Hai Duong, hospitalized on July 27, 2024. One month ago, the patient had a thorn in his leg and treated it at home. The patient was not vaccinated against tetanus. When there are signs of jaw stiffness and difficulty swallowing, the patient will be hospitalized for treatment. Then, systemic muscle spasms and respiratory failure develop, requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation.
Or like the case of a male patient, 64 years old, in Thai Binh, with underlying diseases such as hypertension and heart failure. About 7 days before admission to the hospital, the patient suffered an injury to his right forearm due to daily activities. After 3 days, the patient began to stiffen his jaw, had difficulty swallowing, and the condition progressed. When admitted to the hospital, the patient was in a state of spasticity throughout his body, had to be placed on a ventilator and had low blood pressure.
Doctor Nguyen Duc Minh, Emergency Department, Central Tropical Diseases Hospital, said that people with tetanus often have initial symptoms of stiff jaw and difficulty opening their mouth, then spread to the muscles, making the patient unable to move. can walk. In severe cases, the disease can lead to rigid convulsions. If not treated promptly, it will lead to respiratory failure and quickly death due to chest stiffness, bone fractures, and muscle ruptures. The incubation period for tetanus can last from a few days to several months. Therefore, people need to pay attention to tetanus vaccination, especially when suffering from open wounds. Treating a wound yourself at home can lead to serious and life-threatening complications. In case of suspicion of tetanus, you should immediately go to a medical facility for timely examination and treatment.
For people with tetanus after being discharged from the hospital, Dr. Minh recommends: Patients need to be vaccinated again 1 month after discharge from the hospital and again every year or 10 years, or immediately after a new contaminated open wound appears. . Tetanus has 3 stages: acute stage, recovery stage and post-recovery prophylaxis to avoid recurrence. The severity of recurrence will depend on the patient's constitution and the contamination of the wound. Almost all tetanus patients experience muscle weakness due to prolonged lying down, poor nutrition, absorption disorders in tetanus and spastic muscle atrophy. In these cases, recovery time is quite long. Therefore, it is necessary to actively supplement nutrition through food, infusion and recovery exercises.
