We have read with interest a report published in Malaysian Family Physician1
on a 23-year-old
Malay atopic patient with a known allergy (angioedema) to metoclopramide, tramadol, aspirin,
and CT contrast media who was stung by an insect and developed throat tightness, vomiting,
and a swollen uvula. As he was being treated with intramuscular tetanus toxoid, intravenous
hydrocortisone, intravenous chlorpheniramine, and 0.5mg (1:1000) of intramuscular adrenaline
for anaphylactic shock, he presented, within minutes, with a sudden escalation of drowsiness,
worsening throat tightness and chest pain so excruciating on his left side that he fainted. The patient’s
electrocardiograms and cardiac enzymes were normal, however, and he regained consciousness with
a high oxygen flow of 15 liters per minute. The following day, the patient was discharged in good
condition. This report raises the issue of whether the excruciating chest pain was the result of the
intramuscular adrenalin administration or of a Kounis Type I syndrome manifestation.