Bored? And Now for Something Completely Different - Review

Chapter 1

You greet EMS at the door. They are bringing in a man who eerily reminds you of your drunken choreography at your own wedding.

You ask some questions and appreciate a fully responsive man with violent, uncontrollable muscle contractions of the extremities, trunk and face – looks like tetanus to you…

You go to your attending with a baffled expression and he asks you:

So what is your differential for generalized tetanic contractions?

Tetanus:

C. Tetani infection.

True mimics of tetanus infection:

Strychnine poisoning

Hypocalcemia

Other syndromes to keep in mind that may present similarly:

Benzodiazepine withdrawal

Dystonic reaction

Serotonin syndrome

“Stiff Person Syndrome” (SPS)

Malignant Neuroleptic Syndrome

** feel free to add more in the comments and or refute the ones above (though I wouldn’t argue with Judith Tintinalli).

To be Continued…

References:

Tintinalli, Judith E., and J.ch Stephan. Stapczynski. “151 – Tetanus.”Tintinalli’s Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. N. pag. Print.