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Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus with Dr Lara Zibners
In this episode, Sam Ashoo, MD and Lara Zibners, MD discuss the August 2025 Pediatric Emergency Medicine Practice article, Diphtheria, Pertussis, and Tetanus: An Update of Evidence-Based Management of Pediatric Patients in the Emergency Department
- Introduction and guest background
- Host welcome, show context
- Dr. Lara Zibners’ credentials
- EB Medicine involvement
- Personal stories and clinical experience
- Memorable tetanus and pertussis cases
- Vaccine advocacy
- Rare disease encounters
- Diphtheria: overview, presentation, treatment
- Toxigenic vs. non-toxigenic, “bull neck”
- Cardiac, neurologic complications
- Antitoxin, antibiotics, public health
- Pertussis: symptoms, vaccine, treatment
- “100-day cough,” apnea in infants
- Waning immunity, boosters
- Azithromycin, treat contacts
- Tetanus: risk, presentation, management
- Clostridium ubiquity, no outbreaks
- Muscle spasms, autonomic instability
- Airway, sedation, antibiotics
- Key ED takeaways and pearls
- Early suspicion, isolation
- ICU admission for severe cases
- Vaccination, reporting
- Resources and article summary
- Appendix, clinical pathway
- ebmedicine.net reference
- CME, further reading
- Guest’s podcast plug and closing remarks
- “Unstable Vitals” podcast
- Where to listen
- Thank you, sign-off
Check out Dr Zibner's podcast Unstable Vitals
Emergency Medicine Residents, get your free subscription by writing resident@ebmedicine.net





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