Unnecessary Tetanus boosters in the ED

Decennial diphtheria-tetanus adult boosters: are they really necessary?

Available epidemiological data shows that an average number of 59 cases of tetanus per year are still reported in Italy. Most of cases (80.2%) occur in subjects > 64 years-old. Furthermore, the proportion of females among subjects ≥ 65 years-old is significantly higher than males (87.7% vs. 64.4%, p < 0.0001). Seroprevalence data show that the percentage of subjects with protective tetanus anti...

Tetanus booster every 5 years: an unnecessary routine?

The various guidelines for the administration of tetanus toxoid and antitetanus immunoglobulin are not only complicated, but also have never been supported by any scientific experimental studies. This study has measured the antibody levels in a random sample of 157 patients presenting to an accident and emergency department. Levels were measured before and after boosting doses. The results show...

Tetanus immunity status among adult trauma patients in an ED

OBJECTIVES Tetanus is a vaccine-preventable infectious disease. It is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani. The aim of this study was to investigate tetanus immunity among adult trauma patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study was performed with 267 trauma patients who were admitted to the emergency department of Tepecik Training and Research Hospital in Izmir City, Turkey over a six mo...

Protocol boosters

This paper describes a new methodology for protocol design, using incremental construction of the protocol from elements called “protocol boosters” on an as-needed basis. Protocol boosters allow: (1) dynamic protocol customization to heterogeneous environments, and (2) rapid protocol evolution. Unlike alternative adaptation approaches, such as link layer, conversion, and termination protocols, ...

Potential Boosters?