Analysis of appropriate tetanus prophylaxis in an emergency department

Abstract

BACKGROUND In this study, our aim was to identify the validity of the prophylaxis indications for patients who received tetanus prophylaxis, determine the ratio of high-risk wounds to the number of patients with immunity, and to evaluate the tetanus immunity of specific age groups. METHODS Patients who applied to the Emergency Department (ED) between September 2009 and May 2010 and who were considered for tetanus prophylaxis by his/her primary care physician were included in the study. RESULTS A total of 320 patients were evaluated. The average age of the patients was 40.87±15.83 years. A total of 73.1% of the patients were male and 26.8% were female. A total of 40.3% of the patients knew their vaccination history, while 59.7% had no recollection of their vaccination history. 14.7% of the patients had received their last dose within 5 years and 48.1% within 5-10 years; 37.2% of the patients declared that more 10 years had passed since their last vaccination. In 75% of the patients, the tetanus immunoglobulin (Ig)G level was identified as ≥0.1 IU/ml, while 25% of the patients had levels <0.1 IU/ml. The number of patients with protective levels was lower among those who were illiterate or who had only a primary school education, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). CONCLUSION The vaccination histories can be misleading. Certain equipment can be used at the bedside to determine a patient's tetanus immunization status.