UNASSIGNED: Hypersensitivity reactions to iodinated contrast media (ICM) are frequently encountered in clinical practice. Severe manifestations, despite being infrequent, can be life-threatening and represent an issue when re-administration of ICM is required. Clear recommendations on prevention and management of relapses are still lacking.
UNASSIGNED: We present the cases of two patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome requiring urgent coronary angiography, with an anamnesis of ICM-induced drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome. Both patients safely underwent a coronary angiography with the use of a different ICM (iobitridol) to the one linked to hypersensitivity manifestations, after premedication with corticosteroids and H1 antagonists.
UNASSIGNED: Our experience highlights that in clinical situations in which the use of ICM is urgently needed, premedication with corticosteroids and H1 antagonists together with the choice of an alternative contrast agent (when the culprit is known) represents an effective strategy to perform a potentially life-saving procedure while avoiding serious systemic allergic reactions.

Benzylisoquinolinium neuromuscular blocking agents can precipitate bronchospasm either through allergy/anaphylaxis or isolated stimulation of mast cell histamine release. This report presents a 75-year-old female who attended the day surgery unit for a rigid cystoscopy under general anaesthesia. She had a hyper-reactive airway history of mild historic asthma and sensitivity to aerosols. After administration of atracurium at induction of anaesthesia, ventilation became challenging with no chest rise and a flat CO2 trace. Repeat video laryngoscopy confirmed correct endotracheal tube position. The patient remained cardiovascularly stable with no mucocutaneous signs of anaphylaxis. Administration of high flow oxygen, sevoflurane, salbutamol and magnesium sulfate led to gradual improvement and normalisation of respiratory parameters. Surgery was postponed. This report highlights atracurium as an important trigger of bronchospasm at induction of anaesthesia, and illustrates that in rare cases a flat capnograph does not always indicate a mispositioned airway device. Several aspects of the anaesthetic plan for this patient were suboptimal given her respiratory history, namely, the choice of mode of anaesthesia and choice of neuromuscular blocking agent. These factors are discussed in the context of anaesthetic planning for patients presenting with features suggesting high bronchospastic risk.

Anesthetic induction in children can have significant psychological and behavioral impacts. Strategies like premedication or parental presence for induction may reduce distress. In children who require ongoing procedural care into adulthood, like those who receive heart transplants, transitioning from these strategies toward independence may require intermediate steps. The use of parental presence by video may aid in this transition. It might also be a reasonable approach for those children who have adverse reactions to medications commonly used for anxiolysis before procedures.

Introduction and importance: Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors in skeletal striated muscles. It is most common in young women. Myasthenia can be diagnosed by the detection of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies. Treatment includes anticholinesterase drugs, thymectomy, and restricting drugs that may aggravate myasthenia. The authors report a rare case of accidental revelation of myasthenia gravis in an elderly woman during sedation for diagnostic gastrointestinal fibroscopy. Case presentation: A 85-years-old female patient scheduled for diagnostic gastrointestinal fibroscopy presented signs of myasthenic crisis during the perioperative with severe respiratory failure. The diagnosis of myasthenia was confirmed by bioassay and electromyogram (EMG). Her chest CT scan showed a thymoma. The evolution was favorable as a result of early and appropriate management. Conclusion: Myasthenia can occur in perioperative settings outside the usual circumstances. The prognosis depends on early and adapted management.

Vaccination is a well-known trigger for mast cell degranulation in subjects affected by mastocytosis. Nevertheless, there is no exact standardized protocol to prevent a possible reaction after a vaccine injection, especially for patients who have already presented a previous vaccine-related adverse event, considering that these patients frequently tolerate future vaccine doses. For this reason, we aim to share our experience at Meyer Children\'s University Hospital in Florence to raise awareness on the potential risk for future vaccinations and to discuss the valuable therapeutic strategies intended to prevent them, taking into account what is proposed by experts in literature. We describe the case of an 18-month-old female affected by a polymorphic variant of maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis that presented an extensive bullous cutaneous reaction 24 hours after the second dose (booster dose) of inactivated-tetravalent influenza vaccine, treated with a single dose of oral corticosteroid therapy with betamethasone (0.1 mg/kg) and an oral antihistamine therapy with oxatomide (1 mg/kg/daily) for a week, until resolution. To the best of our knowledge, in the literature, no documented case of reaction to influenza vaccine in maculopapular cutaneous mastocytosis is described. Subsequently, the patient started a background therapy with ketotifen daily (0.05 mg/kg twice daily), a non-competitive H1-antihistamine, and a mast cell stabilizer (dual activity). A non-standardized pharmacological premedication protocol with an H1-receptor antagonist (oxatomide, 0.5 mg/kg) administered 12 hours before the immunizations, and a single dose of betamethasone (0.05 mg/kg) together with another dose of oxatomide (0.5 mg/kg) administered 2 hours before the injections was followed to make it possible for the patient to continue with the scheduled vaccinations. Indeed, no reactions were subsequently reported. Thus, in our experience, a background therapy with ketotifen associated with a premedication protocol made by two doses of oxatomide and a single dose of betamethasone was helpful to make possible the execution of the other vaccines. We suggest how in these children, it could be considered the idea of taking precaution when vaccination is planned, regardless of the kind of vaccine and if a dose of the same vaccine was previously received. However, international consensus needs to be reached to manage vaccinations in children with mastocytosis and previous adverse reactions to vaccines.

BACKGROUND: Infusion reactions (IRs) are the most common adverse events (AEs) of infliximab (IFX) treatment in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Prophylactic premedication (PM) with corticosteroids or antihistamines prior to IFX infusions has been used in clinical practice, but its efficacy is not known. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of steroid PM on IR incidence in pediatric patients with IBD receiving IFX.
METHODS: We performed a case-control study that included pediatric patients with IBD receiving IFX. Patients were divided into four subgroups according to the agent and PM they received: Remicade (original drug) + PM, and two biosimilars-Reshma +/- PM, and Flixabi-PM. At our site, until 2018, PM with steroids was used as a part of standard IFX infusion (PM+); however, since then, this method has no longer been administered (PM-). IRs were divided into mild/severe reactions. Differences between subgroups were assessed with the appropriate chi-square test. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess associations between PM and IR incidence, correcting for co-medication usage.
RESULTS: There were 105 children (55 PM+, 44 male, mean age 15 years) included in the study who received 1276 infusions. There was no difference between the PM+ and PM- subgroups, either in incidence of IR (18.2% vs. 16.0% of patients, p > 0.05) or in percentage of infusions followed by IR (2.02% vs. 1.02% of infusions, p > 0.5). The OR of developing IR when using PM was 0.34, and the difference in IRs ratio in PM+ and PM- patients was not statistically significant (95% CI, 0.034-1.9). There were 11/18 (61.1%) severe IRs (anaphylactic shock) reported in all patients (both PM+ and PM-).
CONCLUSIONS: At our site, the incidence of IR was low, and PM did not decrease the incidence of IR in pediatric patients with IBD receiving IFX. These results indicate that PM with steroids should not be a standard part of IFX infusion to prevent IR.

This is the first report of successful deferasirox administration, using graded challenge and treating through, in a patient with mild immediate hypersensitivity reaction. Beginning with drug graded challenges could indicate the eliciting dose and reaction severity which are important for the management plan in the next step. This approach could be a safe shortcut in a stable patient with a mild reaction and a long avoidance period.

BACKGROUND: Oxaliplatin is a third generation anti-neoplastic platinum compound (organo-platinum complex) used in the treatment of several solid tumours either as a single agent or in combination with other chemotherapy drugs. Hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin are uncommon, with most reports indicating an incidence of 1-5%. The severity of reactions may vary from grade 1 side effect in line of skin flushing and/or rashes to very severe, life-threatening systemic anaphylaxis (grade 3/4). Following mild to moderate hypersensitivity reactions, steroids and/or antihistamines could be administered, after which the patient can be re-exposed to the drug. In severe hypersensitivity reactions however, oxaliplatin must be discontinued while alternative chemotherapeutic regimen or even other forms of therapy should be considered.
METHODS: A 56 year old woman with colorectal cancer who was commenced on adjuvant oxaliplatin therapy developed Hypersensitivity reaction about 2 hours of the first oxaliplatin administration, for which the drug was discontinued and the symptoms improved. She had similar reactions in 2 subsequent attempts at administering same drug, after which the drug was changed. A placebo infusion was administered twice with no untoward reactions.Management and outcome: With each reaction, the drug was immediately discontinued and she was promptly given intranasal oxygen and corticosteroids. She was premedicated with anti-histamines and corticosteroids prior to subsequent cycles. Oxaliplatin was consequently discontinued and she experienced no further hypersensitivity reaction to the subsequent drug regimen.
CONCLUSIONS: Hypersensitivity reactions to oxaliplatin, though a rare occurrence, are more likely idiosyncratic; with more cases being reported in recent times.

Background Perioperative anaphylaxis is rare but often severe. Little is known about the risk factors regarding perioperative anaphylaxis and the effect of anti-allergy premedication on prevention of perioperative anaphylaxis. Objective To identify the risk factors of perioperative anaphylaxis and to evaluate the prophylactic effects of anti-allergy premedication on perioperative anaphylaxis and investigate the factors associated with anti-allergy premedication options in patients who previously experienced anaphylaxis with unidentified culprits. Setting Surgical operation unit of the University Hospital in Chongqing, China. Method We identified patients who underwent surgery between Oct. 2012 and Dec. 2017. The study included two parts: in part one, a retrospective nested case-control study was used to identify the risk factors of perioperative anaphylaxis by logistic regression with 1 in 4 matching between patients with and without perioperative anaphylaxis; in part two, patients with high-risk anaphylaxis were included, in which patients who previously experienced anaphylaxis with unidentified culprits had been given anti-allergy premedication prior to the operation according to the degree of risk and severity of anaphylaxis. The prophylactic effects of anti-allergy premedication were evaluated and the factors associated with anti-allergy premedication options were explored. Main outcome measure Perioperative anaphylaxis occurrence. Results In part one, in the multivariate logistic analysis, history of drug allergy (OR 6.78; 95% CI, 2.35-19.54; P < 0.01) and history of allergies to food or other substances (OR 40.56; 95% CI, 8.12-202.52; P < 0.01) were associated with a higher risk of perioperative anaphylaxis. In part two, none of these patients either who had avoided culprits or who had been given anti-allergy premedication developed anaphylaxis during the surgical procedure. In the multivariate logistic model, history of grade II or grade III perioperative anaphylaxis (OR 9.09; 95% CI, 1.34-61.55; P = 0.02) was identified as factor associated with anti-allergy premedication options in high-risk perioperative anaphylaxis patients. Conclusion In this study, history of drug allergy and history of allergies to food or other substances were significantly associated with perioperative anaphylaxis. Avoiding culprit drugs or taking rational anti-allergy premedication was critical to prevent perioperative anaphylaxis for surgical patients with high-risk factors.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the safety and efficacy of hydrogen peroxide H2O2 in controlling blood loss and surgical site infection (SSI) after multisegmental lumbar spine surgery.
METHODS: A total of 2626 patients who had undergone multisegmental lumbar spinal surgery from January 2015 to January 2018 were included in the present study. Stratified by the use of H2O2 irrigation, they were divided into 2 groups: the control group (n = 1345) and the experimental group (n = 1281). The demographic parameters, laboratory examination results, and surgery-related information (e.g., operative time, number of operated levels, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative drainage, postoperative SSI, extubation time), and perioperative complications were recorded.
RESULTS: No significant differences were seen regarding the demographic parameters, laboratory examination results, comorbidities, and surgery-related information. The extubation time and postoperative drainage collection were lower in the experimental group (3.6 ± 0.5 vs. 4.1 ± 0.6 days, P = 0.402; 251.8 ± 67.5 vs. 291.8 ± 71.3 mL, P = 0.013). In the control group, the rate of SSI was 2.4% (32 of 1345) and included 17 superficial wound infections and 15 deep wound infections. In the experimental group, the SSI rate was 1.4% (18 of 1281; 15 with a superficial wound infection and 3 with a deep wound infection). Staphylococcus aureus was the most common organism, especially in the experimental group (66.7% vs. 50%). No statistically significant difference was found between the 2 groups in the perioperative complications, including hematencephalon, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and myocardial infarction (P > 0.05). Pneumocephalus was not observed in either group.
CONCLUSIONS: The application of H2O2 in posterior lumbar interbody fusion can reduce the blood loss and incidence of SSI after surgery and was quite beneficial for controlling the increasing number of vancomycin-resistant bacteria.