A Case of Tetanus Seen on Fiberscopic Examination that Led to Respiratory Arrest

Abstract

A 55-year-old man was referred to our hospital with the chief complaint of difficulty in opening his mouth and dysphasia. His breathing stopped on fiberscopic examination and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed. Based on the symptoms and history of trauma, he was clinically diagnosed as having tetanus. Respiratory care, debridement surgery of a wound bed, anti-tetanus immunoglobulin injection, and administration of penicillin G were required. He was discharged from hospital without any untoward sequelae. The number of patients contracting tetanus is decreasing. However the rate of deaths from this disease is 15–40%, so a tetanus vaccination is required. It should be noted that a patient having tetanus could visit otolaryngology clinic due to their trismus and that a prompt diagnosis based on clinical manifestations is required.