Tuyen Quang Male patient, 16 years old, had a traffic accident, bought medicine of unknown origin to apply to the wound, leading to critical tetanus.
On May 31, the patient was taken to a local hospital, then transferred to Tuyen Quang Provincial General Hospital, with a swollen, oozing, purple-black wound.
On the hospital bed, the male student had continuous spasms, his whole body tensed, and a high fever that would not go down. The doctor diagnosed him with tetanus. The team used sedatives and antibiotics, while treating the wound, preventing respiratory failure, and balancing the patient's fluids and electrolytes.
After a week, the patient's health did not improve, the family asked to take their child home for the funeral, but the doctor persistently encouraged them. The hospital mobilized more doctors and nurses to be on duty to treat, continuously monitor the index and improve the patient's condition.
Three weeks later, the boy's vital signs began to stabilize, his symptoms of stiffness decreased, he could eat and drink on his own, and was expected to be discharged from the hospital in the next few days.
"The most experienced nurses in the Infectious Diseases Department were mobilized to treat, care for and closely monitor the patient's condition. Luckily, he miraculously escaped death," said Dr. Chau Van Tich, Deputy Head of the Infectious Diseases Department, on June 26.
Tetanus is an acute disease caused by the toxin of tetanus bacteria (Clostridium tetani) that develops at the wound under anaerobic conditions. The signs are painful muscle spasms, first of which are stiffness of the chewing muscles, face, neck, and finally the trunk muscles.
The incubation period is usually 3-21 days, depending on the characteristics, size and location of the wound. Most cases appear within 14 days of infection with tetanus bacteria. Heavily contaminated wounds have a shorter incubation period and are more severe. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, the patient is at high risk of death due to respiratory failure, sudden cardiac arrest, systemic infection, and hemorrhage.
Doctors recommend tetanus vaccination for people who have not been vaccinated or have not had a booster shot in 5-10 years. When injured, first aid is to wash the wound under clean running water, or use hydrogen peroxide to wash and disinfect, and stop bleeding. Wounds with foreign objects must be cleaned and all foreign objects removed before bandaging. Do not cover the wound if it has not been cleaned properly because this is a condition for tetanus bacteria to grow.
Minh An
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