AI Article Synopsis

  • The study investigated the characteristics and treatment of adult tetanus patients in Slovenia from 2006 to 2021, focusing on those treated in the ICU at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana.
  • Out of 31 patients, the majority were female, and nearly all required mechanical ventilation for an average of over 35 days, with many also suffering from healthcare-associated infections during their ICU stay.
  • Despite a higher-than-average incidence of tetanus in Slovenia, the ICU's therapeutic strategies led to a favorable survival rate, with only 12.9% of patients dying during the study period.

Article Abstract

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to determine the demographic, epidemiological and clinical characteristics of adult patients with tetanus in Slovenia between 2006 and 2021, as well as to determine the therapeutic approaches which have been successfully used in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Infectious Diseases Department in the University Medical Centre Ljubljana (UMC).

Methods: We included all adult patients who were treated for tetanus in the ICU of the Department of Infectious Diseases Ljubljana between January 1st, 2006, and December 31th, 2021, in the retrospective study. Available epidemiological and clinical characteristics were reviewed from the medical documentation.

Results: There were 31 patients included in the study, four (12.9%) males and 27 (87.1%) females. The vast majority of patients required mechanical ventilation (MV) (87.1%) which lasted (± SD) on average 35.4 ± 16.0 days. Autonomic dysfunction was present in 29 (93.5%) patients and was statistically significantly associated with shorter disease evolution (p = 0.005) and presence of healthcare-associated infection (p = 0.020). During the hospitalization, 27 (87.1%) patients acquired at least one healthcare-associated infection, most commonly ventilator-associated pneumonia. The average length of stay in the ICU (± SD) was 42.5 ± 21.3 days. With increasing age, MV lasted statistically significantly longer (p = 0.001), length of stay was longer (p = 0.015), and healthcare-associated infections occurred (p = 0.003) more frequently. Four patients (12.9%) died.

Conclusions: Although the tetanus incidence rate in Slovenia is high in comparison to other European countries on average, our therapeutic approach resulted in a good survival rate and low mortality.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00508-023-02222-3DOI Listing

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