All issues > Volume 14(8); 1971
- Original Article
- J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1971;14(8):489-493. Published online August 31, 1971.
- 9 Cases of Tatanus Treated with Skeletal Muscle Relaxant, Robaxin
- C.K. Lee1, B.C. Lee1, H.S. Lee1, J.M. Kang1
- 1Department of Pediatrics, Presbyterian Hospital, Taegu, Korea
- Abstract
- From October, 1968 to December, 1969, we had experienced, 9 cases of tetanus including & cases of neonatal tetanus and observed the clinical course in the hospital and mortality rate with administration of skeletal muscle relaxant, Robaxin which is a trend of methocarbamol and compared with the clinical course of 15 cases as compared group in which steroid was administered The cases who received Robaxin were all survived in contrast to the mortality rate of 46.1% of control group and the clinical course was relatively shorter than that of compared group. In treatment of tetanus, one of the most important aspects is adequate and efficient skeletal
muscle relaxation and one of the important cause of death from tetanus may ensue from exhaustion and asphyxia due to spasms of muscles of respiration or airway. Robaxin seems to achieve that it promptly and predictably abolishes skeletal muscle spasm during the acute phase of the illness and decrease the chance eliciting muscle exhaustion or asphyxia. So Robaxin group can sustain enough duration of hospitalization for treatment giving to the patients good chance to receive adequate treatment for life saving and tetanus itself.
Although a series of 9 patients is small, it is nevertheless heartening that all patients in this series recovered, but it must be stressed also that no single therapeutic agent or procedure can receive complete credit when a patient recovers. Management of the total patient, including anticipatory observation and nursing care, is of utmost importance.
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