Anafilaxia perioperatoria severa: Incidencia en un hospital terciario en España durante 20 años. Estudio de cohorte histórico

Abstract

ObjectiveTo assess the incidence of severe perioperative anaphylaxis, the mechanisms involved, the value of laboratory/skin tests, and the most effective treatments. MethodsA historical cohort study conducted in a tertiary public hospital in Spain. Patients that had undergone anaesthesia during the 20-year period were included. In these patients, 66 cases of severe anaphylaxis were found. In patients with suspicion of severe anaphylaxis, levels of blood histamine at less than 15 minutes and serum tryptase at 2, 6, and 24 hours following the reaction were determined. Skin and specific IgE tests were performed between 4 and 8 weeks later. ResultsOver the 20-year period, 288 594 anaesthetic procedures were performed. We observed cases of 66 severe anaphylaxis reaction (59% men; age, 60.8 ± 17.3 years. Symptoms observed were cardiovascular (86%), respiratory (73%), and mucocutaneous (56%). Elevated serum tryptase levels were associated with degree of severity at 2 (p < 0.0001) and 6 hours (p = 0.026) and were highest in IgE-mediated reactions (p = 0.020). All patients required treatment, and 3 events were fatal.In 84.8% of patients, skin and/or specific IgE tests were positive for antibiotics (35.8%), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (23.1%), neuromuscular blocking agents (15.4%) and latex (15.4%). ConclusionsThe incidence of severe anaphylaxis in our hospital was 1 in 4 373 anaesthetic procedures, with a death rate of 4.5%. All cases required treatment. Serum tryptase was a good predictor of reaction severity. The most frequent causative agents were antibiotics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, neuromuscular blocking agents and latex.