Week 2.1 – Anaphylaxis

This week we covered the important and life saving treatment of anaphylaxis. There are no tricks, the answer is adrenaline. Know your doses, know your adrenaline dilutions and know what to do next. Important readings for this week are below.

Anaphylaxis:

Anaphylaxis

Anaphylaxis in children:

https://www.rch.org.au/clinicalguide/guideline_index/Anaphylaxis/

Pediatric Anaphylaxis

Lastly check out these excellent pearls and pitfalls:

Pearls and Pitfalls in Anaphylaxis

Fun fact: vegetarian because of an arachnid?

The paralysis tick in Australia can transmit a carbohydrate (alpha-Gal) that cause humans to create ‘anti-Gal’ antibodies. Once IgE mediated antibodies develop, resultant meat consumption containing alpha-Gal can cause anaphylaxis. This mammalian meat allergy was only recognised in 2007! Poultry and fish are safe though, yet another reason to live in the Torres Straits. Just in case the trivia couldn’t get more obscure, there is alpha-Gal in cetuximab, gelofusin, haemaccel and porcine heart valves and there is one reported case of anaphylaxis post a porcine heart valve transplant.