[Cardiovascular complications of severe tetanus (author's transl)]

Cardiovascular complications of severe tetanus are essentially represented by cardiac arrhythmias and hypertension. An excess of catecholamines is responsible for these complications. Tetanus toxin causes indeed a sympathetic overactivity which is due partly to a central stimulation and partly to a peripheral one. All that means the best treatment of cardiovascular complications of tetanus is represented by adrenergic blocking agent.