Adrenaline in the Acute Treatment of Anaphylaxis (original) (raw)

Anaphylaxis is the most serious manifestation of an immediate allergic reaction and the most common emergency event in allergology. Adrenaline (epi- nephrine) is the mainstay of acute pharmacotherapy for this complication. Although epinephrine has been in use for more than a century, physicians and patients are often unsure and inadequately informed about its proper administration and dosing in everyday situations. This review is based on pertinent publications from the period 1 January 2012 to 30 September 2017 that were retrieved, on the basis of the existing guide- lines of 2007 and 2014, by a PubMed search employing the keywords "anaphylaxis treatment," "allergic shock," "adrenaline," and "epinephrine," as well as on further ar- ticles from the literature. Adrenaline/epinephrine administration often eliminates all manifestations of anaphylaxis. The method of choice for administering it (except in intensive-care medicine) is by intramuscula...