17 yo son, very grazed face. Tetanus?

[BringBackCatsEyes]

17 yo son fainted and face planted a train platform this afternoon.
I wasn't there.
He has six 10p size grazes on his face - weepy and sore.
Train staff called 999 and DS spoke to handler to ascertain his state.
Determined he didn't need hosp. Am on concussion watch!
He was cleaned up.

My Q is about tetanus. He should have had a booster 3 years ago. I'm confident he did - cos he's had them all. He doesn't have NHS app.

On the off chance he needs a booster, the internet says he has 48 hours to get it.
I can't contact the surgery until Tuesday to check his record, which will be within the 48hr window.

WWYD? I think this will be OK. The alternative is to call 111 who may be able to access his records.

DS went through a phase of fainting at 14 and had some ECG monitoring as a result. Later the same day, then a few weeks later for a few days. The paediatrician he was under told me that 14-15 is the most common age for heart issues to show up in boys, so I imagine that 17 wouldn’t be too different.

He was actually fine in the end - the issue was that his body had grown quicker than his heart, and his boy size heart was struggling to pump round his man size body (he is tall).

That’s a bit rude to be honest, I said if you end up worried after what other posters have said (not me) then you could look at this charity. You asked for advice and I gave reasonable fair advice early in the thread about contacting 111 to ask about tetanus. I haven’t scaremongered.

Seems it.

He’s seeing a neurologist in October but his consultant he is usually sees thinks it’s because his CNS is already fucked!

But I would be concerned about it because the damage to his face indicates he lost consciousness suddenly and dropped suddenly. No warning.

And a word of warning the carpet burns up my son’s arms took weeks to heal!

I was under the impression that tetanus shots were most needed for deep puncture wounds.

My experience of fainting and heart attacks, is that everyone in the family who has had a heart attack hasn't fainted first. Tetanus for the graze is ott.

I once fainted after drinking coke and it hit my stomach hard, horrendous pain, got up, lent on the bannister and fainted.

I had v bad grazing recently. At A and E was triaged to minor injuries seem v quickly and got tetanus

No, I've only ever known one person to faint and there was an obvious cause. Fainting can be nothing serious but should be investigated.

I went to a 15 yo boy in cardiac arrest, he had fainted earlier that day witnessed by someone who new his mum, he recovered quickly, he told this lady that he would tell his mum what happened but he didn't, parents found him in cardiac arrest later that night, we shocked him 12 times, he survived with catastrophic brain damage from the hypoxia.

NICE guidelines are not randoms on the internet, they are evidenced based best practice, as are JRCALC guidelines (which are inline with NICE) that the paramedic/ nurse in ambulance control should be working to. This is not a safe discharge. It is perfectly reasonable for the HCP in control to ask him to present to A&E or GP for a 12 lead ECG under his own transport, but not to discharge without an ECG.

You won’t need a tetanus unless:

Tetanus-Prone Wounds: If you get a deep, dirty, or puncture wound (like stepping on a nail, a deep animal bite, or a burn contaminated with soil or manure), you need urgent medical advice. A booster or extra treatment may be given if your history is incomplete or if it has been more than 10 years since your last dose.

I would though take him to the GP for fainting causes because that is not usual in a fit/ healthy 17 year old.

Fainting is quite common, but that doesn’t mean it’s normal. There is always something that causes the faint, and it’s helpful to know what caused it.

I also don't think it is normal for a 17 year old boy to faint. Please do get him checked over to rule out more serious cause. If nhs won't do it then there are charities that will do it, CRY for example.

Yep we all have problems with blood sugar in my family. Had to really be careful with DD3 especially, she would need OJ as soon as she woke up or she would faint.

I have the same problem, I almost fainted at work last week due to heat and low blood sugar.

People are trying to help OP, surely better safe than sorry with checking out CRY charity?

Agree. My friend who fainted also had no warning, and injured her face. Her previously unknown heart condition isn’t life threatening but it was the cause of the faint.

You have zero evidence that it is an unsafe discharge. The NHS website says nothing at all about getting a ECG for a faint. It says to consult a GP. The OP’s son has already had contact with a medical professional who (knowing the full details and history) was satisfied that he doesn’t need further assessment. There’s absolutely no way I’d trust a random on the internet, or a link to guidance from 12 years ago, over an actual medical professional who had discharged a person.

If he got the usual tetanus booster in Year 9 then he’ll still be covered by that.

edited to say sorry I didn’t read your post properly. If booster was done, they will have emailed you about it.

Just re: the tetanus - my son recently cut his head on a rusty metal gate and trying to a) ascertain whether he needed a tetanus booster and b) who would give it to him, was a Kafka-esque nightmare. in the end, after a conversation with 111, a chat with the pharmacist, and not one, but FIVE phone calls from the GP surgery- including them scheduling an appointment for a booster, which they cancelled 15 mins later because “it needs to be A&E”- I’ve come to the conclusion that it would be better to just take your chance with tetanus as less painful. (I joke, darkly).

He did go to A&E, where they said he didn’t need a booster, despite the advice online being very clear that he did. (I assume the nhs online advice is out of date). We accepted this (ofc) and he lives to tell the tale. But the advice and treatment pathway is far from clear.

Email will say something like “DTP immunisation” somewhere in the text

From the NICE quality statement - "What the quality statement means for different audiences Service providers (first-line staff such as paramedic and emergency service staff, GPs, and out-of-hours staff) ensure that people who have had a suspected transient loss of consciousness have a 12-lead ECG recorded during the initial assessment. Service providers ensure that systems are in place to offer training to healthcare professionals according to local need in relation to competent interpretation of 12-lead ECG recordings.
Healthcare professionals (such as paramedics and GPs) ensure that people who have had a suspected transient loss of consciousness have a 12-lead ECG recorded during the initial assessment and that the results are interpreted competently."

Screenshot is from the altered level of conciousness (including transient loss of conciousness) JRCALC Guidelines (all fully up to date on my phone and work iPad with 15 new updates since I went on annual leave 😓) which all UK ambulance services work to. In coroners court expert witnesses will ALWAYS refer word for word back to these guidelines.

NICE guidelines are avalible to anyone to read and are evidence based and followed across the NHS (or they should be).

A friend of mine didn't have his congenital arrythmia picked up until he was 45 when he had a pre-op for some back surgery (he has since had ablationto correct it). His dad died from a sudden collapse in his late 40s when my friend was in uni. It matters, that is why there are guidelines, and even a charity dedicated to it.

A 12 lead ECG is a painless non invasive test that can tell us a remarkable amount about the heart. What's not to like about them!!

Health care professionals are not infalliable.

You’re right. HCPs make mistakes, the NHS website is lying, and it’s far more likely he has a heart condition rather than fainting due to not eating. So the OP should definitely take the word of a stranger on the internet instead.

Oh, and the reason I don’t believe you is because I’ve dealt (more than once) with a teenager fainting and being told by HCPs that it’s fine, just keep an eye out for concussion. It is possible that they’ve all been lying or incompetent but that’s statistically unlikely. But I’m a random on the internet so I wouldn’t take my word for it 😂

No idea about tetanus but I highly recommend hydrocolloid dressings for the grazes. I face planted when walking with hands in pockets and had to go for X-rays to rule out facial fractures. I had large deep grazing and was given those dressings at minor injuries to minimise scarring. 10days after falling I was all healed up, just red/pink smooth skin and have no scars.
they keep the wound from drying out and forming a thick scab letting it heal from inside out.
they look a bit gross while they’re on but worked absolute wonders

DH was out walking and a random, off lead, dog jumped up and bit him. Internet said tetanus but it wasn't straightforward by any means. He did get one eventually at A&E.

Fainting - I come from a fainting family. No-one would raise an eyebrow at a faint here. My mum, sister, me and my DC all fainters. However I think a first ever faint at 17 is unusual and should be questioned. CRY go round schools doing ecgs on secondary school children.

Have you determined cause on these fainting occasions @BringBackCatsEyes ?