Purpose: Tetanus is still one kind of major health problem in many countries, so tetanus prophylaxis is very important.
However medical interview and wound description are not always enough to determine the tetanus prophylaxis. Thus, we assessed the utility of Tetanos Quick Sticky test for selective tetanus prophylaxis in the emergency department. Methods: From September 17, 2003,to October 4, 2003, 180 patients were studied for 14 days. Tetanos Quick Stick 8 and EUSA (enzyme-linked mmunosorbent assay) were performed with 180 samples from 180 patients. Results: The Tetanos Quick Sticks had a sensitivity of 79,6%a, a specificity of 99.2%, a positive predictive value of 97.7 %, a negative predictive value of 91.9%, and an accuracy of 93.3%.
Conclusion: The results of our study revealed that the Tetanos Quick Sticks test is useful for selective tetanus prophylaxis in the emergency department.