Hypersensitivity reactions in the anesthesia setting/allergic reactions to anesthetics

Perioperative anaphylactic reactions to central venous and pulmonary artery catheters containing chlorhexidine, sulfadiazine, or latex: a historical cohort study

PURPOSE

Central venous catheters (CVCs) and pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) containing chlorhexidine, silver sulfadiazine, or latex can cause perioperative anaphylaxis. We examined the incidence of and outcomes associated with anaphylaxis caused by CVCs/PACs.

METHODS

In a historical cohort study, we retrospectively identified adult patients fitted with CVCs/PACs at the Mayo Clinics in Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida from 1 January 2008 to 1 March 2018. Potential and confirmed cases of perioperative anaphylactic reactions were individually reviewed and classified.

RESULTS

During the study period, 39,505 procedures were performed during which CVCs/PACs were inserted. Of these, 2,937 patients with pre-existing chlorhexidine, sulfonamide (sulfa), and/or latex allergies had CVCs/PACs inserted that contained these substances. Perioperative anaphylaxis, in which CVCs/PACs were the confirmed or potential causative agent, occurred during 53 procedures. Seven patients had a preoperatively reported sulfa or latex allergy; no patients had a preoperative chlorhexidine allergy. Six of the seven patients with reported allergies to sulfa or latex had a CVC/PAC inserted that contained these substances. Twenty-four patients with anaphylaxis had postoperative allergic disease consultation; ten of these (42%) underwent skin testing.

CONCLUSION

Perioperative anaphylactic reactions related to CVCs/PACs containing chlorhexidine, silver sulfadiazine, or latex were rare in this large historical cohort study. We identified 2,937 patients with pre-existing chlorhexidine, sulfa, and/or latex allergies and had CVCs/PACs inserted that contained these substances. Although few cases of perioperative anaphylaxis attributable to these substances were observed in patients with corresponding allergies, the potential for substantial complication exists. Providers should be aware of the potential for these hidden exposures.

Two cases of circulatory collapse due to suspected remimazolam anaphylaxis

Background

Remimazolam was approved in Japan in January 2020. We report two cases of circulatory collapse due to suspected remimazolam anaphylaxis during anesthetic induction.

Case presentation

Case 1: A 74-year-old male was scheduled for debridement and skin grafting for a severe burn injury. We induced anesthesia with 4 mg of remimazolam and 20 mg of ketamine. The patient subsequently developed treatment-resistant severe hypotension.

Case 2: A 59-year-old male was scheduled for laparoscopic-assisted sigmoid colectomy. We induced anesthesia with 9 mg of remimazolam. Within a few minutes, the patient developed treatment-resistant severe hypotension.

As serum tryptase was elevated in both cases and only intravenous administration of adrenaline was effective, we considered the circulatory collapse might be due to anaphylaxis.

Conclusion

We experienced two cases of circulatory collapse due to suspected remimazolam anaphylaxis during anesthetic induction. The prevalence of remimazolam anaphylaxis is not yet known, and further research is needed.

[Update on perioperative hypersensitivity reactions: joint document from the Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology (SBA) and Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI) - Part II: etiology and diagnosis]

This second joint document, written by experts from the Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI) and Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology (SBA) concerned with perioperative anaphylaxis, aims to review the pathophysiological reaction mechanisms, triggering agents (in adults and children), and the approach for diagnosis during and after an episode of anaphylaxis. As anaphylaxis assessment is extensive, the identification of medications, antiseptics and other substances used at each setting, the comprehensive data documentation, and the use of standardized nomenclature are key points for obtaining more consistent epidemiological information on perioperative anaphylaxis.

Update on perioperative hypersensitivity reactions: joint document from the Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology (SBA) and Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI) - Part II: etiology and diagnosis

This second joint document, written by experts from the Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI) and Brazilian Society of Anesthesiology (SBA) concerned with perioperative anaphylaxis, aims to review the pathophysiological reaction mechanisms, triggering agents (in adults and children), and the approach for diagnosis during and after an episode of anaphylaxis. As anaphylaxis assessment is extensive, the identification of medications, antiseptics and other substances used at each setting, the comprehensive data documentation, and the use of standardized nomenclature are key points for obtaining more consistent epidemiological information on perioperative anaphylaxis.

Multiple drug allergies: Recommendations for perioperative management

Life-threatening hypersensitivity reactions are more likely to occur in patients with a history of allergy, atopy, or asthma. Hence, in a patient who presented with a history of multiple drug allergies (MDA), an allergological assessment should be performed prior to surgical procedure. Drug allergies, being one of the causes of catastrophic events occurring in the perioperative period, are of major concern to anesthesiologists. Neuromuscular blocking agents are regularly used during anesthesia and are one of the most common causes of perioperative anaphylaxis. They are estimated to be responsible for 50%-70% of perioperative hypersensitivity reactions. Antibiotics and latex represent the next two groups of drug allergy. Allergic reactions to propofol are rare with an incidence of 1:60,000 exposures. Although intraoperative drug anaphylaxis is rare, it contributes to 4.3% of deaths occurring during general anesthesia. These recommendations discuss pathophysiology of MDA, preoperative evaluation, and anesthesia considerations as well as the prevention and management of allergic reactions in anesthetized patients with a history of MDA.

Drugs frequently involved in inducing hypersensitivity reactions

Adverse drug reactions represent a major public health problem, both from an economic point of view and, mainly, from the point of view of the induced pathology (iatrogenic diseases), being difficult to differentiate from other pathological conditions or even from the treated disease. Thus, these aspects prevent the use of the first-choice drugs needed for a particular treatment, in different therapeutic classes: beta-lactam antibiotics; sulfonamides; macrolide antibiotics; quinolones; non-steroidal anti-inflammatories; corticosteroids; Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors; general anesthetics; biological drugs; antiepileptic drugs etc. On the other hand, adverse drug reactions represent a major problem for both clinical practice and preclinical research, in order to develop new drugs. Hypersensitivity reactions mainly refer to the adverse effects that can be harmful, disturbing, and sometimes fatal, that appear under the conditions of a normal immune system, including allergies and autoimmune reactions, both triggered by an immunological-allergic mechanism. The main purpose of this paper is to review the main classes of drugs involved in inducing hypersensitivity reactions.

Treatment of Anaphylaxis to Rocuronium with Sugammadex: A Case Report with Bronchospasm as the Only Symptom

Anaphylaxis during anaesthesia is a rare event occurring in up to 1:20,000 anaesthetics and in 33%-63% neuromuscular blocking agents are involved. Several case reports suggested the effectiveness of sugammadex in the treatment of rocuronium-induced anaphylactic shock refractory to conventional treatment. We report a case of anaphylactic reaction to rocuronium that caused isolated respiratory symptoms and showed no improvement in oxygen saturation after intravenous corticosteroids and intratracheal beta-2 agonists and that was successfully treated with sugammadex. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms that explain the potential beneficial effect of sugammadex in this context are not completely known. We briefly review the literature regarding this topic.

Chlorhexidine-induced anaphylaxis in surgical patients: a review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Chlorhexidine (CHL) has antiseptic and disinfectant properties used to prevent hospital-acquired infections. CHL-induced anaphylaxis is poorly reported in surgical literature despite government warnings and growing recognition. The aim of this review is to increase awareness of CHL-induced anaphylaxis in the surgical population.

METHODS

Literature review of Embase, Medline, PubMed and the Cochrane library using 'anaphylaxis (and) chlorhexidine' search terms.

RESULTS

Thirty-six articles were published on surgical patients suffering anaphylaxis to CHL. Within these, seven patients had two proven separate anaphylactic reactions and one had three separate proven anaphylactic reactions. The most commonly affected speciality was urology. The majority occurred during elective procedures. A history of atopy was surprisingly uncommon as was bronchospasm. Six patients required active chest compressions and 39.71% of patients had their surgical procedure abandoned. Unplanned intensive care admissions occurred in 27.94%.

DISCUSSION

In order to reduce abandoned procedures, unplanned intensive care unit admissions, morbidity and mortality associated with CHL-induced anaphylaxis we recommend the following: rationalization of CHL-containing products, greater vigilance regarding subtle symptoms of CHL allergy, appropriate investigation of these symptoms and a greater awareness of CHL-containing products. Lastly, we outline the appropriate investigations and highlight the need for meticulous documentation in those who are CHL allergic.

Intraoperative Ephedrine Allergy in a Patient Who Received Chemotherapy and Perioperative Hypersensitivity Reactions

Anaesthesia represents a specific set-up in respect to pharmacology, and during this time, early hypersensitivity reactions or anaphylaxis may occur in patients who are exposed to a great number of foreign substances. Intravenous ephedrine (5 mg) was applied to a 37-year-old patient due to the development of intraoperative hypotension in a total abdominal hysterectomy operation. After application, hyperaemia was seen in the track of the intravenous catheter of that extremity. Approximately 15 minutes later, urticarial plaques were observed extensively in the abdomen and in both extremities. Methylprednisolone (100 mg+100 mg) and pheniramine (45.5 mg) were given with an increasing infusion rate of intravenous crystalloid. The patient was extubated without any problem and removed to the recovery unit for observation. After the total disappearance of lesions at postoperative 60 minutes and because of the stability of vital signs, the patient was removed to the service. In the follow-up of surgery, no complication developed, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 2.

Perioperative anaphylaxis

Perioperative anaphylaxis is a life-threatening condition with an estimated prevalence of 1:3,500 to 1:20,000 procedures and a mortality rate of up to 9 %. Clinical presentation involves signs such as skin rash, urticaria, angioedema, bronchospasm, tachycardia, bradycardia, and hypotension. Prompt recognition and treatment is of utmost importance to the patient's prognosis, since clinical deterioration can develop rapidly. Epinephrine is the main treatment drug, and its use should not be postponed, since delayed administration is associated with increased mortality. Elevated levels of serum tryptase help to confirm the diagnosis. The main agents involved in IgE-mediated perioperative anaphylaxis are neuromuscular blocking agents, latex, antibiotics, hypnotics, opioids, and colloids. Specific investigation should be conducted 4 to 6 weeks after the reaction and relies on skin tests, serum-specific IgE, and challenge procedures. This review aims to discuss the main aspects of perioperative anaphylaxis: risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, culprit agents, specific investigation, and preventive measures.

Fatal anaphylaxis with neuromuscular blocking agents: a risk factor and management analysis

BACKGROUND

Anaphylactic reactions to neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs) can be severe and even fatal. Our aim was to evaluate mortality rate in France from anaphylactic reactions to NMBAs, to identify risk factors for a fatal outcome, and to describe management of the cases that proved fatal.

METHODS

The French National Pharmacovigilance Database was queried for reports of NMBA anaphylaxis that occurred between January 2000 and December 2011. A questionnaire was sent to regional pharmacovigilance centers to obtain further information on the management of cases with a fatal outcome.

RESULTS

Two thousand and twenty-two cases of NMBA hypersensitivity were retrieved, of which 84 were fatal (4.1%). Among the 1247 cases of severe NMBA anaphylaxis (grades 3 and 4), independent risk factors associated with a fatal outcome in a multivariate analysis were male gender (female gender: OR = 0.4; 95% CI 0.2-0.7; P = 0.0004), an emergency setting (OR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.5-4.6; P = 0.0007), a history of hypertension (OR = 2.5; 95% CI 1.5-4.4; P = 0.0010) or of other cardiovascular disease (OR = 4.4; 95% CI 2.4-8.1; P < 0.0001), obesity (OR = 2.4; 95% CI 1.1-5.3; P = 0.0376), and ongoing beta-blocker treatment (OR = 4.2; 95% CI 1.8-9.8; P = 0.0011). All 31 patients with a fatal outcome received epinephrine in a titrated manner according to international guidelines.

CONCLUSION

Obese males with a history of cardiovascular disease receiving ongoing beta-blocker treatment and undergoing surgery in an emergency setting were at high risk of a fatal outcome after NMBA-induced anaphylaxis. Some epinephrine-resistant cases may play a role in our high mortality rate. New therapeutic approaches need to be developed to treat these cases.

Oxytocin: an unexpected risk for cardiologic and broncho-obstructive effects, and allergic reactions in susceptible delivering women

Oxytocin (Sintocynon) is considered an uncommon cause of severe allergic reactions during delivery. We have recently shown that allergic sensitization to latex might constitute an important predisposing risk factor for anaphylaxis after the first infusion of oxytocin during delivery.Some oxytocin cardiovascular activities such as lowering blood pressure, negative cardiac inotropy and cronotropy, parasympathetic neuromodulation, vasodilatation etc. can induce significant side effects mimicking cardiac anaphylaxis, and constitute an additional differential diagnostic problem in delivering women with suspected or real allergic background. Finally, some ex vivo models have shown that oxytocin, under pro-inflammatory cytokines stimulation, such as those occurring in asthma, may induce contraction of smooth muscle and airway narrowing.This background suggests that allergic sensitization to latex allergens constitutes a significant but underestimated risk factor for triggering severe systemic reactions after the infusion of oxytocin and, consequently, there is a need of particular attention in managing delivering women suffering from latex allergy and bronchial asthma. An accurate anamnestic, clinical and diagnostic evaluation, latex-free anesthesiological setting, use of oxytocin-alternative agents and, if necessary, a drug premedication are likely to reduce the risk of anaphylactic/broncho-obstructive reactions in these women.

Mast cells and basophils are essential for allergies: mechanisms of allergic inflammation and a proposed procedure for diagnosis

The current definition of allergy is a group of IgE-mediated diseases. However, a large portion of patients with clinical manifestations of allergies do not exhibit elevated serum levels of IgE (sIgEs). In this article, three key factors, ie soluble allergens, sIgEs and mast cells or basophils, representing the causative factors, messengers and primary effector cells in allergic inflammation, respectively, were discussed. Based on current knowledge on allergic diseases, we propose that allergic diseases are a group of diseases mediated through activated mast cells and/or basophils in sensitive individuals, and allergic diseases include four subgroups: (1) IgE dependent; (2) other immunoglobulin dependent; (3) non-immunoglobulin mediated; (4) mixture of the first three subgroups. According to our proposed definition, pseudo-allergic-reactions, in which mast cell or basophil activation is not mediated via IgE, or to a lesser extent via IgG or IgM, should be non-IgE-mediated allergic diseases. Specific allergen challenge tests (SACTs) are gold standard tests for diagnosing allergies in vivo, but risky. The identification of surface membrane activation markers of mast cells and basophils (CD203c, CCR3, CD63, etc) has led to development of the basophil activation test (BAT), an in vitro specific allergen challenge test (SACT). Based on currently available laboratory allergy tests, we here propose a laboratory examination procedure for allergy.

Early skin testing is effective for diagnosis of hypersensitivity reactions occurring during anesthesia

Allergic skin tests have to be performed 4-6 weeks after an allergic anesthetic reaction. Patients with allergic reactions during anesthesia were prospectively included (n = 44). Skin tests were performed in two stages: (i) Stage 1 (S1), 0-4 days after the reaction; and (ii) Stage 2 (S2), 4-8 weeks after. Five (11.5%) surgical procedures were suspended due to the reaction. Positive skin tests were obtained in 25/44 patients (57%). Allergic diagnosis was carried out at S1 in 15/25 (60%) and at S2 in 10/25 (40%). Three patients resulted positive only in S1. Overall agreement among S1 and S2 skin tests was 70.45%. The kappa statistic was 0.41 (P-value = 0.002). Odds ratio of obtaining a false negative in S1 (compared with S2) was 3.33. Early allergological study is useful, could minimize false negatives, but should be considered as a complement to late skin tests.

Testing children for allergies: why, how, who and when: an updated statement of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Section on Pediatrics and the EAACI-Clemens von Pirquet Foundation

Allergic diseases are common in childhood and can cause a significant morbidity and impaired quality-of-life of the children and their families. Adequate allergy testing is the prerequisite for optimal care, including allergen avoidance, pharmacotherapy and immunotherapy. Children with persisting or recurrent or severe symptoms suggestive for allergy should undergo an appropriate diagnostic work-up, irrespective of their age. Adequate allergy testing may also allow defining allergic trigger in common symptoms. We provide here evidence-based guidance on when and how to test for allergy in children based on common presenting symptoms suggestive of allergic diseases.

IgE-mediated allergy to pholcodine and cross-reactivity to neuromuscular blocking agents: Lessons from flow cytometry

BACKGROUND

Immunoglubulin E antibody-mediated allergic reactions to opioids are rare and difficult to document correctly.

OBJECTIVE

Assessment of the basophil activation test in the diagnosis of IgE-mediated allergy to the antitussive pholcodine and associated sensitizations to neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA).

METHODS

Three patients with a suspected IgE-mediated allergy to pholcodine were investigated using skin tests, quantification of specific IgE, and flow cytometric activation of basophils.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Flow cytometric activation of basophils, with simultaneous analysis of CD63 appearance and median histamine content per cell, is the only technique capable to correctly document pholcodine allergy. The negative predictive value of basophil activation tests might help to elucidate on the controversial putative cross-reactivity between pholcodine and NMBA.

Drug allergy: causes and desensitization

Allergic drug reactions occur when a drug, usually a low molecular weight molecule, has the ability to stimulate an immune response. This can be done in one of two ways. The first is by binding covalently to a self-protein, to produce a haptenated molecule that can be processed and presented to the adaptive immune system to induce an immune response. Sometimes the drug itself cannot do this but a reactive breakdown product of the drug is able to bind covalently to the requisite self-protein or peptide. The second way in which drugs can stimulate an immune response is by binding non-covalently to antigen presenting or antigen recognition molecules such as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) or the T cell receptor. This is known as the p-I or pharmacological interaction hypothesis. The drug binding in this situation is reversible and stimulation of the response may occur on first exposure, not requiring previous sensitization. There is probably a dependence on the presence of certain MHC alleles and T cell receptor structures for this type of reaction to occur.