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Pattern of use of epinephrine as anti-anaphylactic at a university hospital, Saudi Arabia

Hussam AS Murad, Doaa OA Serry

Epinephrine is life-saving treatment of anaphylaxis. This study was conducted to identify pattern of use of epinephrine in treatment of anaphylaxis in the Emergency Department at King Abdulaziz University (KAU) Hospital, Jeddah. A 40 staff (10 physicians and 30 nurses) was asked to fill a structured and validated questionnaire about their use of epinephrine as an anti-anaphylactic treatment. The results showed that the most commonly used doses of epinephrine were 0.3 mg drawn from ampoules followed by use of auto-injectors (EpiPens). A single dose was enough for most patients. Intramuscular injection was the most common route. Epinephrine was kept mostly in the emergency trolley away from light and humidity. Keeping epinephrine in a box attached to the walls but protected from light was a rare practice. The time needed for delivery of epinephrine to patients was mostly 30-60 s, and there was no significant difference between physicians and nurses. In conclusion, the pattern of use of epinephrine as an anti-anaphylactic treatment at the KAU hospital is generally similar to the international reports. To our knowledge, there is very few data published in Saudi Arabia handling this issue, thus this study improves knowledge of the medical staff about proper use of epinephrine in anaphylaxis and opens gate for larger studies.