Gregorakos L; Kerezoudi E;
Dimopoulos G; Thomaides T
Department of Respiratory Insufficiency, Chest Hospital of Athens, Greece.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the
effectiveness of clonidine in the management of unstable blood pressure in
severe tetanus. DESIGN: Patients with severe tetanus and blood pressure
instability were treated with clonidine and the results were compared with
those of other patients with severe tetanus who were not treated with
clonidine. SETTING: Intensive care unit of the Chest Hospital of Athens. PATIENTS:
We studied 27 patients with severe tetanus and autonomic dysfunction.
INTERVENTIONS: Patients were managed according to a protocol. MEASUREMENTS AND
RESULTS: Clonidine was administered until blood pressure stability was the
fully restored and the dose was then gradually reduced. Five patients from the nonclonidine group and 2 from the clonidine group died.
CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that clonidine is effective in the treatment
of blood pressure instability in severe tetanus.