How many cases of tetanus have you seen in peds??

Specialties Pediatric

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Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.

Just curious.

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Hi Marilynmom,

I've just encountered my first neonatal Tetorifice - (am working a 6 month volunteer stint in a childrens hospital in Cambodia teaching nurses in ICU)- apparently they see quite a few each year from dirty bamboo cutters of the umbi cord!

This one is 10 days F/T with the classic spasms. Intubated & ventilated , on Midazolam/Phenobarb & boluses of Thio.

Quite different from any seizure type activity Ive ever seen.

I'm having trouble finding out more about the mechanism & what if any deficit will ensue if the baby survives. If you have any info. or ideas would appreciate it. Sallie

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Specializes in Range of paediatric specialties.
Just curious.

Saw one very recently here in NZ. Parents anti immunisation so non immunised child. The tetany is horrendous and virtually unmanageable . Ventilated heavily sedated child . Last time i saw tetorifice was 20years ago older woman that had been gardening and scratched self on rose bush , saw her in ED before admission to ICU

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Parish Nursing.

I've only seen one - a little 10 year old boy- and that was back in 1974.

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Specializes in Peds ED, Peds Stem Cell Transplant, Peds.
How many cases of tetorifice have you seen in peds??Just curious.

This thread really bugs me. MnM are you asking this to jusitfy the need today of the tetnus vaccine?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Parish Nursing.

I would hope not. Anyone who has seen even one actual case of tetorifice would know this is something everyone should be immunized against. It is a gruesome disease.

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Specializes in Paediatrics.

I've been a paed nurse for 15 years in various acute settings and I have never seen any cases.

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ive not seen any cases but then i only been qualified 2 years but i know some of senior nurses have not seen any in 20 years.

on another note the rise in cases of measles in the uk is mad because of children not having the mmr jab , obviously there are reasona the parents dont want the jab the study related to autism but there are ways round it like have the jabs individually .

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Specializes in Adolescent Psych, PICU.
This thread really bugs me. MnM are you asking this to jusitfy the need today of the tetnus vaccine?

I was asking because I was doing my peds rotation and we were also studying the vax schedules. I was just curious if anyone had actually seen a case of it--especially here in the US, I know it is pretty rare here in children but not so rare in other countries (especially neonatal tetorifice). We were reading an article about neonatal tetorifice during post conference (can't remember which country but I think it was Africa) but some of them pack manure on the freshly cut umbilical cord! I was just wondering under what conditions tetorifice happened, if seen in a ped client here in the US.

I work in the PICU and have never seen a case (but of course I haven't been there for long), but for some reason tetorifice interests me.

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Specializes in Peds/Neo CCT,Flight, ER, Hem/Onc.

Two! Both Amish. Both running barefoot in barn. Very, very sick children but both made it.

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