Atypical presentation to rocuronium allergy in a 19-year-old female patient

The danger of anaphylaxis, a rare but life threatening complication of general anesthesia (GA) can be summarized in two: 1. General Anesthesia masks the typical early signs of allergy which can be seen in an awake patient. 2. Anaphylaxis during GA manifests mostly as circulatory/ventilatory failures which can be interpreted as adverse effects of anesthetics or surgery and this can lead to critical delay of effective therapy. A 19-year-old female admitted for posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation (the 5th surgery in patient's life) desaturated seconds after intubation. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was started and the absence of cutaneous signs along with a loud holosystolic murmur were questioned. The patient was promptly resuscitated and allergy to rocuronium was confirmed by intradermal tests 6 weeks later. Factors influencing decision making and potential etiology of the newly heard holosystolic murmur during anaphylaxis are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.