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Managing Anaphylaxis in the Emergency Department Contents

"last update: 28 Oct 2024"  

- Executive Summary

This guideline is the key for the initial management of anaphylaxis (a life-threatening condition compromising the airway, breathing, and/or circulation) in the emergency department (ED), to be used by emergency physicians and any physician who works in the ED, whatever the specialty. It has been made in a simple concise way to go through in a quick stepping manner giving the clues to most critical points of such a critical condition in the ED.

The guideline was developed through adoption and adaptation methodology by a consensus of expert field group, Guideline Development Group (GDG) of the Egyptian National Clinical Guidelines Centre, supporting the 2021 update of the Resuscitation Council United Kingdom (RCUK). Because of lacking randomized clinical trials, the certainty of evidence for these recommendations was moderate or less.

We recommend

Strength

1- giving adrenaline as the first line of treatment

Strong

2- early administration of adrenaline once symptoms of anaphylaxis are recognized or suspected

Weak

3- giving adrenaline by intramuscular route as the initial treatment of anaphylaxis

Strong

4- following the list of adrenaline doses according to age

Strong

5- repeating intramuscular adrenaline every 5-15 min in cases of refractory anaphylaxis

Weak

6- iv bolus of crystalloid in case of hemodynamic instability and in refractory anaphylaxis

Weak

7- against using antihistamines as initial treatment of anaphylaxis

Weak

8- against using corticosteroids in initial treatment of anaphylaxis

Weak

9 - giving inhalational beta2 agonist as part of treatment in the presence of wheezy chest

Weak

10- a minimum of 6 hours of observation after resolution of symptoms for all patients with a confirmed diagnosis.

Weak