Abstract

A 24-year-old male patient was admitted to the coronary intensive care unit with atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response. He was given amiodarone (Cordarone 150 mg i.v., Sanofi-Aventis) intravenous loading dose of 300 mg in 100 mL dextrose 5% in water (D5W) over 1 hour, followed by a maintenance dose of 900 mg in 500 mL D5W for infusion up to 24 hours. At the emergency department, the patient was conscious and cooperative; his pretreatment arterial blood pressure was 120/80 mm Hg, and the arrhythmic tachycardia was 145 per minute. After intravenous amiodarone loading and half an hour into maintenance infusion, extreme perspiration, hypotension (blood pressure immeasurable), and mild cyanosis developed. The patient was conscious; his auscultation and pulse were normal. He was given physiologic serum and dopamine support. Approximately an hour later, the blood pressure was measurable. Infusion was terminated because of suspicion of an allergic reaction to acetylsalicylic acid or amiodarone. The allergic reaction observed was attributed to acetylsalicylic acid and amiodarone; infusion was resumed when the clinical situation worsened during the maintenance infusion. Once again, the patient was given physiologic serum (2000 mL), dopamine (20 mg/kg per minute), and, additionally, 250 mg of methyprednisolone sodium succinate intravenous, whereby the clinical condition improved within 20 minutes. Anaphylactic shock cases due to amiodarone are rare; it is important to take a history of drug-mediated anaphylaxis before prescribing amiodarone. An addition to a review of the literature regarding treatment of amiodarone-related anaphylactic shock cases had not been reported before.