Division of Emergency Medicine, Tuffs/New England Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Correspondence
Address reprint requests to Dr Stephen, Division of Emergency Medicine, Tufts/New England Medical Center, 750 Washington St, NEMCH #311, Boston MA 02111.
Division of Emergency Medicine, Tuffs/New England Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
Correspondence
Address reprint requests to Dr Stephen, Division of Emergency Medicine, Tufts/New England Medical Center, 750 Washington St, NEMCH #311, Boston MA 02111.
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Abstract
The routine administration of intravenous thiamine in the emergency department has become widespread. Although anaphylaxis from intravenous thiamine is felt to be uncommon, it can be life threatening. The authors present such a case and review the literature regarding this clinical entity. This case of anaphylactic reaction appears to be the first instance reported since 1946 in the US literature. However a review revealed that cases of anaphylaxis from thiamine have been reported with some regularity in the non-US literature. Given the large number of patients treated without side effects, it seems that thiamine is relatively safe. However, this case illustrates that the assumption that thiamine is a drug with a completely innocuous nature is not totally accurate.
