Abstract
Tetanus often leads to death without early diagnosis and treatment. We report a case of tetanus. A 78-year-old woman consulted the department of surgery at our hospital for trismus. Physical examination revealed severe trismus and stiffness of the masseter muscles. The patient had no history of trauma, but had undergone emergency surgery for obturator hernia 5 days prior to presentation.
We diagnosed tetanus based on her clinical symptoms and condition. The next day, she was transferred to the intensive care unit. She received respiratory care with sedation and tracheal intubation. She recovered from tetanus and was discharged on the 98th day.
Tetanus is usually diagnosed based on typical symptoms and a history of trauma, but when there is no notable history of trauma, tetanus must be diagnosed based on the clinical course and symptoms.
