Low end-tidal CO2 as a real-time severity marker of intra-anaesthetic acute hypersensitivity reactions

Background Prompt diagnosis of intra-anaesthetic acute hypersensitivity reactions (AHR) is challenging because of the possible absence and/or difficulty in detecting the usual clinical signs and because of the higher prevalence of alternative diagnoses. Delayed epinephrine administration during AHR, because of incorrect/delayed diagnosis, can be associated with poor prognosis. Low end-tidal CO2 (etCO2) is known to be linked to low cardiac output. Yet, its clinical utility during suspected intra-anaesthetic AHR is not well documented. Methods Clinical data from the 86 patients of the Neutrophil Activation in Systemic Anaphylaxis (NASA) multicentre study were analysed. Consenting patients with clinical signs consistent with intra-anaesthetic AHR to a neuromuscular blocking agent were included. Severe AHR was defined as a Grade 3-4 of the Ring and Messmer classification. Causes of AHR were explored following recommended guidelines. Results Among the 86 patients, 50% had severe AHR and 69% had a confirmed/suspected IgE-mediated event. Occurrence and minimum values of arterial hypotension, hypocapnia and hypoxaemia increased significantly with the severity of AHR. Low etCO2 was the only factor able to distinguish mild [median 3.5 (3.2;3.9) kPa] from severe AHR [median 2.4 (1.6;3.0) kPa], without overlap in inter-quartile range values, with an area under the receiver operator characteristic curve of 0.92 [95% confidence interval: 0.79-1.00]. Among the 41% of patients who received epinephrine, only half received it as first-line therapy despite international guidelines. Conclusions An etCO2 value below 2.6 kPa (20 mm Hg) could be useful for prompt diagnosis of severe intra-anaesthetic AHR, and could facilitate early treatment with titrated doses of epinephrine. Clinical trial registration NCT01637220.