The management of neonatal tetanus involves treatment of the muscle spasms and rigidity,
administration of tetanus immune globulin to remove free toxins, antibiotic
therapy to eliminate the bacteria, cleaning and debridement of the site of primary infection,
active immunization with tetanus toxoid and supportive care.
Although the treatment of muscle spasms and rigidity is one of the most important aspects
of the management of tetanus, there is no standard or universally accepted drug
regimen for this purpose
Key messages
 It is not known whether diazepam reduces mortality, length of hospital stay or severity
of clinical course of the disease compared to other currently used drugs in
the treatment of muscle spasms and rigidity in neonatal tetanus.
 No information on adverse events of the interventions is provided
 The studies included in the review have some important methodological flaws and
do not provide good quality evidence to base the decision of changing the current
practice in the management of cases
 Further evaluation is needed to confirm the benefits and potential harms of using
diazepam in the treatment of neonatal tetanus.