Review of the 2021 Resuscitation Council United Kingdom guideline for the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis

To cite: Ball E, Purchase T, Morgan J. Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed Epub ahead of print: [please include Day Month Year]. doi:10.1136/ archdischild2022324432 © Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. No commercial reuse. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ. BACKGROUND It is estimated that 1 in 300 people will experience anaphylaxis at some point with approximately 20–30 deaths per year in the UK from anaphylaxis. The treatment, investigation and followup of patients with anaphylaxis are frequently suboptimal, with approximately 50% of anaphylaxis episodes not treated appropriately with intramuscular epinephrine (adrenaline), despite previous guidance recommending epinephrine as firstline treatment. This is often due to a failure to recognise anaphylaxis which can be difficult due to the variety of signs and symptoms that may occur, none of which are specific to anaphylaxis (defined in box 1).

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