Tétano: ainda pode estar presente em uma internação, relato de um caso
Tétano: ainda pode estar presente em uma internação, relato de um caso
-
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.9481625010814
-
Palavras-chave: Clostridium tetani. Infecção. Imunização.
-
Keywords: Clostridium tetani. Infection. Immunization.
-
Abstract: Clostridium tetani is a gram-positive bacillus that produces tetanospasmin, causing an acute, non-contagious infectious disease called tetanus. The comorbidity is characterized by symptoms such as dysautonomia, rigidity, and muscle spasms. The recommended treatment includes debridement of the lesion suspected to be the source of the infection, neutralization of the toxin, antibiotic therapy, sedation, and supportive measures. In Brazil, in 2023, 135 cases were confirmed, of which 26% were fatal. A 48-year-old male patient, a smoker, with a history of meningitis without sequelae at the age of 9, was treated in the Emergency Room of a hospital in northwestern Rio Grande do Sul on March 1, 2024, due to a fall from a metal ladder and an external fracture of the distal tibia in the right lower limb, culminating in the insertion of an external fixator on March 2, 2024. A patient taking prophylactic cefuroxime developed an isolated episode of fever on the third postoperative day. On March 7, 2024, he developed cervical muscle stiffness, trismus, facial and cervical pain, and respiratory failure. He denied any history of tetanus vaccination. Tetanus serum 20,000 IU was administered, and the infection control team was notified. Due to the severity of the condition, orotracheal intubation and intensive care unit admission were required, as well as metronidazole, cefepime, and vancomycin (discontinued after an unremarkable cerebrospinal fluid collection), and surgical wound debridement in the surgical suite. He also developed phonophobia and photophobia. On March 11, 2024, abdominal and facial spasms were noted, and on March 12, 2024, rhabdomyolysis developed. The patient required a tracheostomy. On March 26, 2024, he presented with bilateral fixed mydriasis without photoreaction, soon returning to responding to commands. On April 10, 2024, he was transferred to the ward with spontaneous eye opening and attempts at verbal communication. The external fixator was removed on April 26, 2024. On April 27, 2024, hospital discharge and outpatient follow-up became possible, given the favorable progress of his condition (responsive, communicative, and in room air). The tetanus vaccine, available since 1923, is provided by the National Immunization Program. Despite this, cases of the disease, sometimes critical and irreversible, are diagnosed. Government data show that 50% of those affected by tetanus are not vaccinated or have no record, demonstrating the importance of vaccination as a form of prevention.
- Naimara Ronsoni Rigo
- Eduarda Ferretti
- Barbara Cardozo Fernandes
- Marco Augustín Pawluk Ochoa
- Paula Luza Korsack
- EVANDRO JOSÉ WALCZAK
- Naiane Ronsoni Rigo
- Murilo Ferretti