Tetanus: a complication of parenteral drug abuse

A drug addict suffering from tetanus is described in order to alert physicians into recognizing this life-threatening complication of parenteral drug abuse. This young man had used all accessible veins and started injecting heroin subcutaneously. This resulted in numerous cutaneous ulcers and abscesses the probable site of Clostridium tetani infection. Prompt recognition and appropriate management resulted in complete recovery after a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit