Question

B.N., a 41-year-old female who is a dental hygienist, has had several surgeries over the past five years due to a knee injury. She presents to the outpatient surgery department today for her last reconstructive surgery. Her past medical history indicates she had asthma as a child and had one occurrence of contact dermatitis. She tells you she has no known drug allergies.

You start B.N.’s IV and perform a saline flush. Within three minutes, B.N. states that her IV site itches, and a few minutes later she begins to complain of tightness in her throat.

Subjective Data

* States IV site itches

* States throat and neck feel tight and says “I feel like I can’t breathe”

Objective Data

* Vital signs: Temp 98.8° F, Heart rate 120, Respiratory rate 32, Blood pressure 100/60

* Oxygen saturation 85%

* Wheezing in all lung fields

* Restless

* Swelling at IV site

#1. What were B.N.’s risk factors for this type of reaction?

#2. Based on this reaction, to what foods should B.N. be tested for allergies?

#3. How can such reactions be prevented from occurring?

Answer 1

1 . B.N had a history of asthma as a child which means she is allergic to few things. This is the risk factor for the current allergic reaction she developed.

2 . Based on this reaction she has to be checked for the allergies related to sea food as it contains sodium, iodine content.

3 . It can be prevented by asking for any allergies after sea food intake and administering small dose of normal saline to test if there is any reaction. If there is any allergic reaction, administer antiallergics to prevent further complications.

Thank you.