Tetanus: Deadly But Preventable

Course overview

Tetanus, although known to healthcare professionals in general, is not a familiar condition. This is mainly because the incidence has decreased significantly worldwide. This is a good thing but can become a problem when someone unfamiliar with tetanus is presented with it in the ED. It would be most unfortunate, because currently there is no ready laboratory or imaging test to diagnose tetanus, so one must have a high index of suspicion or sharpened clinical acumen to diagnose tetanus. The diagnosis of tetanus is made clinically. Healthcare professionals must become more familiar with tetanus and develop an accurate diagnostic method.