Differential Diagnosis in Suspected Anaphylaxis

anaphylaxis anaphylaxis differential diagnosis cardiac arrest hypotension patient safety refractory hypotension safety Jun 10, 2024
If symptoms persist after appropriate management, the ANZAAG Differential Diagnosis Card is helpful for ruling out other causes based on the clinical picture. 🧐📈
 
Here’s an outline: 👇🏼
 
👉🏾 Cardiac arrest?
🔺 4 Hs & 4 Ts (see our CS article on Causes of Cardiac Arrest)
 
👉🏾 Difficulty ventilating?
🔺 Oesophageal intubation - confirm ETCO2
🔺 Circuit/ventilator issue - try self-inflating bag
🔺 Airway kinked/blocked - check +/- replace
🔺 Tension pneumothorax - diagnose with ultrasound +/- decompress
🔺 Asthma exacerbation - see “refractory management card”
🔺 Foreign body - consider bronchoscopy
🔺 Acid aspiration - consider bronchoscopy
 
👉🏾 Hypotension?
🔺 Hypovolaemia
🔺 Sepsis
🔺 Drug overdose
🔺 Vasodilation (drug related)
🔺 Neuraxial blockade
🔺 Embolic event
🔺 Vagal tone
 
👉🏾 Rash?
🔺 Histamine release
🔺 Venous obstruction
🔺 Head down position
🔺 C1-esterase deficiency
🔺 Mastocytosis
🔺 Cold urticaria
 
Build knowledge ✅
Improve safety ✅
 
Ref: https://media.anzaag.com/2022/11/22150343/Card-5-Differential-Diagnosis-Nov2022.pdf



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